Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado, Powerhouse Arts

Powerhouse Arts, a not-for-profit creative production center in Gowanus, Brooklyn, is hosting the US premiere of Masterpieces, a virtual reality exhibition built around the Museo del Prado. It runs October 1 through December 20. Developed by ACCIONA Cultura in exclusive collaboration with the Prado, it is described as the first multi-user, location-based VR experience made with the museum.

The twist is the narrator. Rather than a curator or scholar, the guide is a security guard working his final night shift before retirement. Decades of looking at these works shape his view, and the piece shines a light on the often-unseen knowledge of museum workers. Paintings that normally hang as flat canvases become three-dimensional, theatrical spaces you walk into.

Five works are featured: The Sense of Sight by Rubens and Jan Brueghel (1617), Las Meninas by Velázquez (1656), Venus and Adonis by Veronese (ca. 1580), Witches' Sabbath by Goya (1820–1823), and Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych (1490–1500). The Prado rarely lends the Rubens and Brueghel piece and strictly prohibits loans of the others, so Madrid has been the only place to see them in person.

Visitors walk through the space for about 40 minutes wearing a headset. The exhibition advises against participation for anyone prone to motion sickness or sensitive to flashing lights or sudden loud noises. Subtitles are not available, though most assistive listening devices are compatible. It is recommended for ages 8 and up, with adult supervision. Afterward, a self-guided activity table invites you to build a small portable gallery diorama imagining museums of the future.

The show is on the third-floor Loft at 322 3rd Ave, Brooklyn; there is no onsite parking. Timed tickets can be bought in advance or onsite: adults $30, seniors 65+ $20, veterans/military $20, visitors with disabilities $20, students 13+ with ID $16, children 8–12 $8. Groups of 10 or more get 15% off. Related programming includes free Crafternoons family workshops on October 17 and November 14.