Exhibition offers VR experience to explore artist’s studio

VR headsets take art lovers to the final studio of renowned creator Amedeo Modigliani.

London’s Tate Modern gallery has opened a new exhibition with a twist. The comprehensive retrospective of artist Amedeo Modigliani’s work will showcase 12 of his nude portraits, the largest grouping of his work that has ever been unveiled in the UK, and some of his lesser-known sculpture creations. But that’s not all – the exhibition of art from the 1910s will be accompanied with a modern day twist.

In partnership with HTC Vive, visitors can be transported to early 20th century Paris using virtual reality technology. The experience is a recreation of Modigliani’s final studio, which uses the actual studio space that still exists 100 years on as a template. By studying documentary material and the artist’s work itself, a reimagined virtual experience has been created. Each object featured in the projection has a factual connection to the real space, including a can of sardines, a cigarette packet and the way in which light enters the room. The depiction took five months to create. Modigliani VR: The Ochre Atelier is open until April 2, 2018.

The use of virtual reality in more traditional spaces is helping boost experiences, from the VR headset that has an add-on to create scents, to the underwater experience created on Eurostar trains for passengers on board. How else could virtual reality be used beyond it’s traditional use in gaming?