How coronavirus is making virtual galleries go viral

More people are visiting cultural institutions than ever before – even on lockdown

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 17: A quieter than usual British Museum on March 17, 2020 in London, England. Boris Johnson held the first of his public daily briefing on the Coronavirus outbreak yesterday and told the public to avoid theatres, going to the pub and work from home where possible. The number of people infected with COVID-19 in the UK reached 1500 today with 36 deaths. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

As the coronavirus forces many cultural institutions and spaces to close their doors, consumer appetite for online experiences is booming. Stuck at home, one might as well take a scroll through the Louvre.

The Courtauld Gallery’s virtual tour received 723 per cent more visitors last week than the seven days before: an unprecedented figure, explains the gallery spokesperson. Meanwhile, the British Museum’s online collection page jumped from roughly 2000 daily visits to 175,000 early last week, and is now averaging 75,000 a day.