In museums all around the world, one rule trumps all others: look, but do not touch.
However, the controversy over the rule is, what if you cannot look?
Being blind should not prevent a person from appreciating the works of Art that are an important part of our everyday culture.
Madrid is known for being home to one of the most famous art galleries in Europe, The Museum of Prado, also known as Museo del Prado.
The Museum is visited by thousands of tourists around the world each year.
The gallery opened an exhibit that will allow the blind to enjoy some of the greatest masterpieces of Western Art by recreating them in textured 3D paintings that allows the painting to be "viewed" when touched.
The main goal of the exhibit is to open a whole new area of accessibility to the visually impaired. The exhibit was named, "Touching the Prado," and invites visually-impaired people to touch replicas of six masterpieces.
The finished exhibition features copies of paintings, all of which are historically significant. These include, "A Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest" by Goya, "Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan by Velazquez and a copy of the "Mona Lisa.
Alongside the paintings are braille guides and audio commentaries that also help guide visitors through what they are touching.
This is the first exhibit for those who cannot see in the museum, although it has previously organized events for the deaf and those with Alzheimer's and Autism. These projects are part of an effort to improve the accessibility for all in Prado.
Among other improvements, it has incorporated sign language at the reception area and has included wheelchairs and walking sticks for the visitor's use.
Although the museum has been keeping the details to how they created the 3D paintings a secret, they explained that it involves taking a high resolution image of a painting and then working with the blind and partially sighted members of the team to identify which details need to be emphasized to provide reference points for their hands.
The head designer at Estudios Durero, Christian Velasco stated in an interview.
"We are now determined to make art even more accessible, and now we have the technology to do it, giving blind people the chance to share this apart of our culture just seems like the right thing to do."
