Art lovers can now access a growing range of exhibitions online as the coronavirus pandemic limits their access to museums and galleries.

Many museums are offering virtual tours of their exhibits, and galleries are trying to lure buyers by showing their offerings online. Schoolchildren who would normally visit museums are getting a close-up look at everything from dinosaurs to classical art via the Web. There are even advantages to viewing art online, experts say.

“While the deeply personal connections that visitors build with works of art and galleries cannot be reproduced online, the museum has found that a direct connection with living artists, scholars, and collectors, as well as other visitors online, provides a very rich context for everyone,” said Corey Madden, interim director of the Monterey Museum of Art, in an email interview.

“Digital reproduction of art can also offer visitors a number of important additional benefits, such as the ability to zoom in to view the work more closely, convenience and 24-hour access to the collection.”