Arius Technology Collaborates with British Museum Powerhouse, Tate, for 3D Scanning and Reproduction of Art

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and LONDON, Sept. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arius Technology, the leader in 3D mapping, digitization, and reproduction of fine art, today announced that Tate, UK, has signed a five-year partnership to scan and reproduce artworks by world-famous artists and British masters. Famous for its blockbuster exhibitions, Tate Modern is the UK's third most visited attraction and the institution welcomes over 7.5 million visitors¹ to its four sites each year.

An art-technology first for the British institution, Arius has worked closely with Tate conservators and historians to capture 3D scans of several masterpieces, some of which are not currently on display.

The data from Arius' optical 3D laser scanning system, can be used by the Tate to develop a 3D digital archive of their paintings. Approved by world-class museums, Arius' safety-first approach allows the geometry and colour of every brushstroke to be recorded with detail as fine as one tenth of a human hair - without even touching the surface of a painting.

One of few art technology developments that offer museums essential new research tools, Arius is helping pave the way for cutting-edge conservation techniques. Thanks to 3D scanning, Tate, and other museums around the world, will be able to trial virtual restoration before implementing plans on the original works. 

"The partnership with Arius represents a wonderful opportunity for Tate to learn more about some of the works in our collection, preserve them for posterity, and also reproduce them to an astonishingly high quality that will enable so many people to see every brushstroke at close hand.

Conservation and commerce working hand in hand to help foster knowledge, make works more accessible to wider audiences, and generate income. We were enormously impressed by Arius' great expertise and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship."

John Stachiewicz

Publishing & Business Director, Tate

Based in Vancouver, BC, Arius' team of engineers process millions of data points, transforming virtual re-creations into beautiful textured prints that will be available to purchase later this year. 

This partnership provides Tate an opportunity to free works from the physical safety of their museums, allowing art enthusiasts to enjoy pieces of their collection anywhere in the world, while receiving an essential boost to funding. Tate receives royalties from Arius' reproduction sales. This income will help mitigate the financial pressures facing Tate and other museums from decreasing government budgets in the face of growing demand for the preservation and restoration of works that are degrading with time.

"We are very proud to be working with Tate, a global icon in art heritage and culture. We are devoted to helping institutions, like Tate, ease the financial pressure it takes to run a museum while still offering stunning exhibitions that the public can affordably access.

Together, Tate and Arius are at the forefront of using 3D digitization technology to change the way we protect, preserve, and live with art, ensuring an art-rich culture for future generations."

Paul Lindahl

CEO and Director, Arius Technology

About Tate

When Tate first opened its doors to the public in 1897 it had just one site, displaying a small collection of British artworks. Today we have four major sites including the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day at Tate Britain, and international modern and contemporary art at Tate Modern, which between them hold nearly 70,000 artworks. Tate St Ives was chosen Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018.  Welcoming over 7.5 million visitors a year through our doors Tate seeks to make art accessible and relevant to all audiences.

About Arius

Arius is devoted to collaborating with museums, collectors, and artists for the preservation and creation of art. Helping to develop and maintain an art-rich culture around the globe.

With technology originating from a research digitization project of the Mona Lisa, Arius is a world leader in 3D digitization and re-creation of fine art paintings. Arius has worked closely with conservators at the National Gallery of Canada to help restore and re-create artworks by some of the world's most loved artists, including Van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne, Degas and Gauguin.

Arius' 3D scanning technology provides museums the chance to create digital fingerprints of artworks, each made up from hundreds of millions of data points recording the geometry and colour of every brushstroke. Aiming to help the world create a 'cultural seedbank', institutions like Tate can go the extra mile to protect art from the unknowns – be it a natural disaster, terrorist attack or simple human error – with peace of mind that should anything happen they have a digital, and even physical, back of the original brushstrokes.

Arius' low intensity optical scanning technology is built around a 'safety first' mentality, ensuring even the most fragile paintings are never placed under stress or duress.

With a mission to make art more accessible, Arius is passionate about helping museums generate revenue by creating reproductions of artwork that art enthusiasts can buy and enjoy at home. These durable and hard-wearing reproductions are also perfect for loaning to any organization – from schools and community centers to hospitals and prisons, giving museums an opportunity to make public art accessible to people everywhere.

More information can be found at AriusTechnology.com 

Media contact:
Lori Farrow
[email protected]
604-683-6150

¹ Visit Britain Full Attractions Listings 2016 https://www.visitbritain.org/annual-survey-visits-visitor-attractions-latest-results

SOURCE Arius Technology

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