Madrid's Prado museum masterpieces enter interactive VR world in Shanghai

"Art Masters: A Virtual Reality Experience," the world's first interactive VR exhibition of masterpieces from Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado, is currently on at Shanghai Jiushi International Art Center and will run through October 12.

Co-produced by Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum, Acciona Living & Culture, and Museo Nacional del Prado, this two-year collaborative project is one of the five major exhibitions of "the 2025 Spanish Arts Festival on the Bund."

Museo Nacional del Prado, one of the world's most renowned art museums, houses a collection of Western masterpieces from Renaissance like Titian to Baroque geniuses like Rubens. For centuries, it has served as a "school" for Spanish artists, including Salvador Dalí who often lingered before Diego Velázquez's enigmatic "Las Meninas."

Five of the Prado's most revered works: "The Allegory of Sight" (1617) by Bruegel and Rubens, "Las Meninas" (1656) by Velázquez, "Venus and Adonis" (c. 1580) by Veronese, "Witches' Sabbath" (1819-23) by Goya and "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (1490-1500) by Bosch "leave" the museum walls, and invite the visitors to traverse the "multiverses" of these five iconic Prado treasures.

The experience extends beyond the canvases, offering a glimpse into the Prado's neoclassical architecture and the fascinating histories behind these celebrated works. Visitors are able to step into palaces, plunge into paintings, and experience the electrifying collision of classical art and cutting-edge technology.

Stepping into the exhibition hall, visitors will encounter several peepholes where they can first observe these masterpieces in their original settings with some of the background information, then later discover the stories that have accompanied them across time and space through virtual reality.

The exhibition shatters physical limits where visitors can explore in 360° to examine brushstrokes with a virtual magnifier, interact with elements within the paintings via their hands, or sneak into the Prado's security office for a secret mechanism. The large-scale VR system merges Prado's neoclassical grandeur with a dreamlike digital odyssey, blending masterpieces, theater, film, and VR innovation.

For example, Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights" has captivated generations for centuries with its surreal imagery and mysterious symbolism. Today the painting is considered one of the greatest works of surrealism.

When entering the digital world of "The Garden of Earthly Delights," visitors will encounter the elements in the painting, seeming pulled from an alien world: hybrid beings and special architectures made of organic materials. The composition guides viewers to pause at every detail. The whole visual journey reaches its climax where visitors are asked to join their party and dance with them at the end.

If you go

Dates: Through October 12, 10am-6pm

Venue: Shanghai Jiushi International Art Center 上海久事国际艺术中心

Address: 2/F, 1 Zhongshan Rd E1 中山东一路1号2楼

Admission: 159 yuan (Tickets: Available via WeChat miniprogram 上海久事美术馆)