Microsoft’s City Art Search app now documents over 8,000 great works

Microsoft has released a new update to its City Art Search app, making it an even more comprehensive directory of the world’s greatest works of art. It now covers a total of 8,614 different artworks, situated in major metropolitan areas all over the world.

The idea behind the City Art Search app is to give users a way to seek out fine art in a number of different ways. It’s possible to search by artist, by the century the piece was produced in, or even by artistic movement.

The app’s main focus is directing users toward the galleries and museums where they can see particular pieces of art in person. You can specify a city or even a particular gallery, and find out which well known works are situated in that area, making it a great tool for people who want to take in some culture while they’re travelling.

Of course, it’s impossible for the app to document every single piece of art in every single gallery worldwide, so Microsoft started out documenting many of the big hitters of the art world. Girl with a Pearl Earring, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and The Great Wave off Kanagawa are just a few of the instantly recognizable paintings that were added early on.

With the app’s database now fleshed out, it’s becoming an increasingly powerful tool whether you’re touring the galleries of Europe or enjoy some art closer to home in North America. It seems that Microsoft will continue to add more entries with each new version. This update also contributes some minor improvements to the user interface, bug fixes, and some data cleansing.

The City Art Search app also offers art lovers a neat way to beautify their Windows devices. Outside of its search capabilities, there’s the option to set the Lock Screen to display a different work from its collection every hour, according to a report from MS Power User.

Microsoft’s City Art Search app is available now for free via the Windows Store, for devices running Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8.1 Mobile.