Over the past year, the National Gallery of Canada has worked closely with Verus Art on the first collection of 3D art re-creations. The two groups selected 12 famous works of art from the Gallery’s own collection and re-created them using 3D printing that resulted in re-creations with texture that’s near identical to the originals. The difference with the prints is that they’re actually safe to touch!
Verus Art is a collaboration of Arius Technology, Larson-Juhl, a Berkshire Hathaway company and Océ – A Canon Company, that 3D prints using advanced laser imaging and elevated printing technology.
Ottawa At Home sat down with Aaron Davey, VP, Marketing & Business Development for Arius Technology, at the launch of the 3D collection at the National Gallery of Canada on October 18th.
Q: Why did you pick Ottawa for the first partnership?
A: The National Gallery is very forward thinking. Stephen Gritt (Director of Conservation at the National Gallery of Canada) is very forward thinking when it comes to the future of art. When we had the opportunity to partner with [the Gallery] and work with them to curate a collection, we knew we’d be able to validate our technology and prove that we can safely digitize the most valuable works.
Q: What paintings from the NGC have been recreated and why?
A: We re-created 12 works from the Gallery. Seven are from European masters and 5 are Canadian. One of the re-creations is not for sale, it will be used for education, but the rest are available for purchase. We went through the museum with the Gallery curators and selected works that represented the Gallery’s collection but also had a level of impasto that would work well in 3D.
Q: Where do you see Verus Art going in the future?
A: The capability that we’re bringing, we see that eventually all oil paintings could use this technology to re-create their art. We think this will have a big impact on the next decade and what people can expect from their art. In the same way that digital music impacted music, we believe that we will impact the consumption of art. We’re bringing a new experience to the art enthusiast that wants to invest in a better home art experience. We want to raise consumers’ expectations that they deserve re-creations in their home.
The re-creations are now available for purchase in the Gallery’s store. Ottawans will be able to visit the store, touch the re-creations and purchase them to hang in their own home. The National Gallery of Canada will also receive a portion of all royalties for every re-creation sold, which they’ll use to help support their educational programming.
For more information on the National Gallery of Canada visit gallery.ca. For more information on Verus Art visit verusart.com.
Olivia Taggart
