Experience the minimalist art of Sol LeWitt through this free app

Visit the studio of the late Sol LeWitt in the comfort of your home thanks to this free app. Photo: AFP

Microsoft has partnered with the Sol LeWitt Foundation to create an interactive application to celebrate the late painter who was one of the founders of the minimalist movement.

Download it to discover exclusive material and take a virtual tour of LeWitt's Connecticut studio. This free application was designed with New York curator Lindsay Aveilhé, who penned Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings, the referential book about the conceptual artist.

With the pandemic forcing many museums to rethink their programmes, this new application allows art fans to delve into Sol LeWitt's oeuvre from the comfort of their home. This project resonates with the vision the late artist, who died in 2007, had about art.

"He believed anyone can be an artist, and that he and those who assisted him would become collaborators in making the art ... and, in that way, the art becomes more democratic," said Lindsay Aveilhé, in a press release.

Microsoft has included many archives in the new app, from sketches to personal photographs, as well as videos and audio material featuring Sol LeWitt himself.

Making art more accessible

Users of the app can also take photos of some of his works displayed in international museums, like the NYC Guggenheim or Smithsonian American Art Museum. Once the app identifies the painting, an algorithm offers archives that offer precise context on Sol LeWitt's practice.

True LeWitt fans will also marvel at discovering Sol LeWitt's personal studio in a virtual visit. Especially since the Chester, Connecticut studio has never been shown to the public before.

Microsoft is not the only tech firm to invest in the art world. Google Arts & Culture recently posted its second edition of Art Zoom, an educational series of presentations of iconic works of art led by contemporary musicians and singers. FKA twigs, Grimes, J Balvin and Matty Healy took part in this project, presenting works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Pieter Brueghel and Fernando Botero. - AFP