Samsung today announced that it’s making more than two dozen well-known pieces of art from the Museum of Modern Art available in the Samsung Art Store, and by extension to its Frame televisions.
The works currently collected by MoMA in New York city total 27 in all, including pairings by Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keefe, Vincent Van Gogh, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, and more. Somewhat ironically — though perhaps less so if you’ve seen the paintings in person — is that by putting them on a large-screen television, the art will end up literally being larger than life. And you won’t have to fight the crowds for a closer look.
The art included in the Samsung/MoMA collab includes the likes of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Mondrian’s Trafalgar Square, and Monet’s Water Lilies.
“MoMA is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds and provides inspiration. Through our relationship with Samsung, we are broadening access to MoMA’s collection in a truly innovative way to millions of people,” Robin Sayetta, head of business development at The Museum of Modern Art, said in a press release. “We were purposeful in building this new digital collection and hope to enrich the lives of art enthusiasts with culture and history at an extraordinary scale.”
This isn’t Samsung’s first collaboration with the art world. It’s also worked with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musée d’Orsay, and it worked on collections this year featuring René Magritte, Jean-Michel Basquiat and more than 40 Marimekko pieces.
“At Samsung, we strive to redefine the home entertainment experience through continual innovation. Our collaboration with MoMA allows us to bring culturally significant works into millions of homes, allowing people to engage with renowned art in a truly remarkable way,” Sang Yoon Kim, EVP and general manager of the North America Service Business at Samsung Electronics, said in the press release. “This endeavor exemplifies Samsung’s mission to use technology to deliver exceptional experiences into the everyday lives of consumers.”
Samsung’s (somewhat awkwardly named) The Frame television is part TV and part digital art frame, with art from the Samsung Art Store available individually, or via subscription. The Frame mounts flush to a wall and can be outfitted with several customizable bezels, with a matte display that rejects reflections to better mimmic an actual art piece. The televisions themselves start at $600 for a 32-inch model and range up to 85 inches at $4,300.