Art Masterpieces Accessibility for Blind and Visually Impaired People

A new representation of content for haptic exploration of two-dimensional pictorial art masterpieces is presented. To realize a “tactile image”, pictures must be simplified and converted to a bas-relief with distinct and logi-cally homogeneous areas, so that each segment can convey the original content in an intelligible way. Pictures must be digitized, modified, adapted and recon-structed as 3D models that are finally processed by a 3D printer to get an object analyzable through fingertips. We assess the quality and efficiency of the pro-posed solution through a cooperation with the Italian Union of Blind and Visu-ally Impaired People. The resulting representations were implemented in two different events, gathering visitors’ comments. Remarks obtained during the exhibition in Pavia in 2015 led to a version of a tactile image that is now shown in Milan, at the Pinacoteca di Brera, beside the original masterpiece. The col-lected comments confirm that the approach is appreciated.