Portraits Telling Their Own Stories

Augmented Reality Brings Art and History to Life.

"If you destroy an entire generation of peoples' culture, it's as if they never existed. That's what Hitler wants. And it's the one thing we can't allow," George Clooney intoned in the feature film, Monuments Men. The movie brought a true story into mainstream popular culture. As many of us know, real men and women--a ragtag platoon of curators, art historians and architects--risked their lives to save works of art.

Guru brought one of the paintings that was actually saved by the Monuments Men alive via augmented reality.

Guru was featured in Forbes for our approach to digital storytelling. If you've never seen augmented reality in a Guru-powered app, here's a look at how it works. First, the basics: most of us are familiar with virtual reality--wholly immersive, computer-generated environments. Augmented reality, on the other hand, blends real life with the imaginary, adding a digital layer to the world around you. (Think of the PokemonGo! craze.) Here's how it works:

• Download and open your Guru-powered app.
• As you walk through a museum, your phone knows where you are.
• When you come to an augmented reality painting, your phone lets you know.
• Point your phone at the painting and...
• Watch it come to life!

The video below shows a demo of how it's done.

Let Cardinal Etienne Rene tell you all about his portrait's history.

In this news segment, Guru is featured as the local technology company that partnered with the San Diego Museum of Art to create an innovative augmented reality experience. The story explores how Guru’s AR technology helps bring paintings to life, giving visitors at Balboa Park a more interactive and engaging way to experience the museum’s collection.

⁠Watch the news segment about Guru’s augmented reality work with the San Diego Museum of Art.

Curious what augmented reality could look like in your galleries? Explore Guru's features.