MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES, ARGENTINA
Published by Fundacion Epson, 1996
The viewer is watching the CD-ROM catalogue of the Museum of Fine Arts of Argentina in his computer. It is a good job beyond doubt: thorough, well organized and easy-to-navigate with pleasing surfaces just like the collection itself, which is large and of a high standard, and spans over several periods. Through the art works organized as a classical network structure, we can either advance from room to room following the map of the museum as a normal visitor would do; or we can choose an autoguided tour passing at random through the material; or take a virtual guide that is a smart animation device showing us, with a zooming motion, the most important works in each room. What's more, the CD-ROM functions as a database, too, so we can search through the works by title, author and technique. To the benefit of those interested in the issues of art history, each work is complete with a description, as well as, the author's biography, and it is also possible to magnify or print images. There is an additional option, for those who plan to visit the museum in person, of checking the location of the paintings and sculptures in the exhibition space. Yet the real visitor will have to do without the music which accompanies the electronic show.
