In the click of a mouse, art lovers can now access 30,000 art works by 6000 artists from 151 cultural institutions in 85 cities and 40 countries, on their computer screen.
Six Australian galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Rock Art Research Centre of Griffith University have joined the international Google Art Project.
It allows anyone with an internet connection to access works from pieces from the Musee d'Orsay in France, the Islamic Museum of Qatar, an extensive catalogue of Australian indigenous art and Maori art.
Google Australia and New Zealand managing director Nick Leeder said many of the institutions involved were seeking to make their works more accessible.
It was part of Google's work to democratise information and culture, with the tyranny of distance experienced by many Australians melting away through access to the project, Mr Leeder said.
Asked what the motivation for establishing such a project was, Mr Leeder said "imagination - it is really showing to us as a company what can be done," he told AAP.
There is a catch - you must use the Google Chrome browser to view the project. It was launched with 1000 works available in February last year and has expanded to involve big name galleries around the globe, including the Tate Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Uffizi in Florence and the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
The digital collection allows people to view the art pieces in high resolution of gigapixel images, that allow brushwork details beyond what is visible to the naked eye.
It isn't just limited to masterpieces and contemporary art but to graffiti works and dot paintings.
NGA director Ron Radford said that while there had been scepticism about the digitalisation of art and the impact it could have on gallery visitor numbers, the initial concerns had proved unfounded. In fact, the move had seen more people engaging with the art world, especially younger people, Mr Radford said.
Virtual tours of the new indigenous art galleries would also give local artists maximum exposure internationally and nationally.
Griffith University's rock art collection, is also part of the project, with 70 rock art paintings from caves, shelters, platforms and boulders available on Google Art Project.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in NSW, the Melbourne Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria have also joined the project.
