Snapchat's AR Studio partners with French museums to enhance cultural heritage

Since opening its AR Studio Paris in 2021, Snapchat has collaborated with several French institutions to reinvent the cultural experience through augmented reality. At the Louvre, the partnership launched in 2023 with 'L'Égypte Augmentée' (2023) and 'Les Illustres inconnus du Louvre' (2026). In the Cour Carrée, Snap's Custom Landmarker technology virtually restores the obelisk of the Concorde on its original pedestal, realizing Champollion's vision and allowing visitors to decipher hieroglyphs via smartphone. At the Centre Pompidou, Christian Marclay's 'Playing Pompidou' (2022) transformed the facade into an interactive experience. During 'Because Beaubourg' (October 24-25, 2025), Snap debuted 'Spectacular: l'Art de Jonathan Yeo en Réalité Augmentée' using fifth-generation Spectacles glasses, allowing the public to interact with the British portraitist's works. At Château de Chantilly, 'Banquet augmenté' lets visitors scan a QR code in the Galerie des Cerfs to see 19th-century dishes recreated by chef Clément Vergeat appear on the table of the duc d'Aumale. At La Caverne du Pont Neuf, JR's 'Echoes' experience uses AR to reveal visual effects inspired by Étienne-Jules Marey's chronophotography, showing bodies, animals, light, and sound beyond the inflatable structure. The article was written by high school interns Anton, Charlotte, Raphaël, and Timothé as part of a work-study program at Connaissance des Arts.