By Ungyu Yeo

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins.

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum is still closed for human amid public health concerns, but a trio of penguins had a private tour. A trio of penguins—Bubbles, Maggie, and Berkley from the Kansas City Zoo took a field trip across town to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art this week. They are native to the coastal areas of peru and chile and can live into their 30s.

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins.

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins. 

They seemed to have a favorite, though, despite this being their first museum visit let alone first experience of art. “They seemed to react much better to Caravaggio than Monet,” noted Julián Zugazagoitia, executive director and CEO of the museum, in a video of the tour posted online. He also added, “We’re so happy to welcome our colleagues from the zoo. And they’ve brought special friends, and actually, we’re seeing how they’re reacting to art.”

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins.

Courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: Gabe Hopkins. 

This news out of Kansas City really underlines how much we’ve been limiting their cultural options.