The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Verizon launch interactive virtual art experience

The Met Unframed opens virtual doors to the Museum offering access to immersive digital galleries and augmented reality versions of iconic Met masterpieces

Select works of art come to life utilizing Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Verizon today launched The Met Unframed, an immersive virtual art and gaming experience, with enhancements powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, that features more than a dozen one-of-a-kind digitally rendered galleries and nearly 50 works of art from across The Met's vast collection. At a time when access to one of the world’s greatest art collections is limited, The Met Unframed brings a creatively reimagined Met experience to people wherever they are.

TheMetUnframed.com invites online visitors to explore digital galleries and play games that unlock augmented reality (AR) versions of the art on view that can then be displayed virtually at home. The Met Unframed is accessible from any 4G or 5G smart device, and is available for free for a limited five-week run.

Within the experience, four of the AR works of art are enhanced with activations accessible to users on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband. These users can watch the objects come alive in AR by utilizing high-speed responsiveness and ultra low lag.

Max Hollein, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art commented, “Our mission since The Met’s founding 150 years ago has been to connect people to art and ideas, and to one another — something we’ve found to be more powerful than ever over these last months of isolation and uncertainty. The Met Unframed brings the Museum to audiences wherever they are in an innovative viewing experience, in which users can virtually visit iconic spaces and engage with The Met’s masterpieces, learn more about the works in a playful way and through AR, and enjoy bringing the art into one’s own surroundings. The Met Unframed expands the ways in which we can understand, experience, and appreciate art.”

Andrew McKechnie, Chief Creative Officer, Verizon added, “The Met Unframed enhances digital inclusivity for an audience that may have never experienced art in such a personal way. We’re utilizing the power of technology and enhancements enabled by Verizon 5G, to provide extensive access, in-depth education, and opportunities for interactivity and sharing, for beloved works of art from one of the world’s most renowned museums.”