Amazon brings art to the heart of the home with its Alexa connected devices

Putting art in the spotlight for Alexa users: that’s what Amazon is trying to do through its latest operation. Indeed, on the occasion of International Museum Day, which was held on Wednesday, May 18, the American giant launched a new feature. From now on, all Alexa users will be able to discover a work of art, every day. These may be paintings exhibited in museums or kept in their reserves. Common point: the works are all selected from the collections of the museums of the city of Paris.

As usual, the user must address the voice assistant orally. A simple “Alexa, what is the painting of the day” is enough to know the work in question. And that makes perfect sense to owners of a Fire TV or digital frame like the Echo Show, who will then have the privilege of viewing the board directly. As for users of an Echo device without a screen, they too can benefit from the functionality by listening to Alexa deliver a description of the work to them. In both cases, a brief description of the work, its author, its date of production, as well as the museum in which the painting is located will be given by the voice assistant.

At present, the operation includes 150 paintings, but the collection should be enriched over the months. Among them, we find major works painted by Courbet, Ingres or Monet, but also creations unknown to the general public such as a self-portrait of Gustave Courbet at the age of 14.

Every day its work of art, therefore. A great way to put technology at the service of culture and history.