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Museum Looks Picture-Perfect Online

Dresden gallery gets virtual replica in Second Life

By Heather McPherson,  Newser User

Posted Aug 13, 2007 1:28 PM CDT

(Newser) – Dresden’s Old Masters Picture gallery is the first museum to create an online clone, now appearing in all its glory—down to the trash cans and fountains—as a location in the virtual reality game Second Life. The building’s 750 paintings have been reproduced digitally, as have the 37,000 square feet of the grounds itself, Wired reports

The online museum—most famous for Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, with its iconic pair of doting cherubs—had 10,000 avatar visitors in its first month. Other cities plan to get in to the virtual tourism act; Cologne will open an online version of its cathedral soon.

Dresden's Old Masters Picture Gallery, now exists as a digital simulation for worldwide perusal on the online multi-player phenomenon, Second Life.
Dresden's Old Masters Picture Gallery, now exists as a digital simulation for worldwide perusal on the online multi-player phenomenon, Second Life.   (Ingersoll; Wikimedia Commons)
In addition to the Zwinger Gallery, live concerts, celebrity fashion shows, and corporate giveaways continue to make Second Life a big draw.
In addition to the Zwinger Gallery, live concerts, celebrity fashion shows, and corporate giveaways continue to make Second Life a big draw.   ((c) Chika)
GERMANY-ARCHITECTURE-CATHEDRAL
GERMANY-ARCHITECTURE-CATHEDRAL   (Getty Images)
Manpower Island in Second Life, the virtual headquarters for the company behind the online universe.(PRNewsFoto/Manpower Inc.)
Manpower Island in Second Life, the virtual headquarters for the company behind the online universe.(PRNewsFoto/Manpower Inc.)   (Associated Press)
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