Sunny’s Digital Debut

Sunny had a big photoshoot recently. He modeled without complaint for seven hours as Museum photographer Cleber Bonato created a digital image of everyone’s best friend.

The images you see online have a resolution of about 72 pixels per inch (ppi). The more pixels per inch, the sharper the image. Bonato’s image of Alex Katz’s painting is 600 ppi. He stitched together 63 photographs to construct the digital file.

Capturing works of art at this level of detail allows for zooming way in to discover details you wouldn’t otherwise see. Experiencing an artwork in person is irreplaceable, yet digital images have their benefits. They expand art’s reach (to people unable to travel and around the world) and provide a different perspective (closer in than the arm’s-length-away distance in the galleries). Our collection site (mam.org/collection) pictures many artworks, but Bonato’s work with Sunny is an example of what’s ahead.

Bonato’s image faithfully records the painting and adheres to the National Archives and Records Administration’s guidelines for digitized materials. As stewards of the Museum’s collection, we’re honored to share the responsibility with other organizations worldwide to preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.

Watch Sunny’s big photoshoot here.