Eye tracking research: how do we look at art?

A first collaboration dates back to 2010 and linked up with the exhibition 'Parallellepipeda'. In 2017, we picked up where we left off. We spent two years investigating different ways of looking at things using works from our own M Collection. Some 2,000 visitors took part in the survey. They looked at two paintings for 30 seconds while cameras recorded their eye movements. They also filled in a short questionnaire. The measurements were then analysed. The duration and the large amount of data collected made this experiment unique.

Parts and wholes

The study showed, among other things, that women look more at faces and body parts, while men are more interested in postures and actions. Experts look more at the whole, while lay people focus on certain areas of the painting.

In 2019, the Pieter Vermeersch exhibition was the occasion for a new research, which linked looking and moving. Among other things, we examined how visitors navigate through an exhibition and how they perceive abstract works. The research was presented at the conference The Visual Science of Art and the symposium 'Wat zie jij?' in 2019 at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

New research

In 2022, a new study started which compares the viewing experience inside and outside the museum. Participants were invited to visit the collection presentation 'Take your Time' and view the same artworks on computer in a laboratory environment. The results of the surveys are expected by the end of 2022.

All these studies tie in with M's broader research into visual literacy, the ability to read visual language. They also provide museum staff with valuable information on how visitors view works of art and experience exhibitions.