Three penguins get private tour at art museum

While museums everywhere are currently closed to humans due to COVID-19 pandemic, three penguins from the Kansas City Zoo had a recent private tour to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. 

Executive director and CEO of Nelson-Atkins Museum, Julián Zugazagoitia said the museum and the zoo had examined the galleries before the tuxedoed guests named Bubbles, Maggie, and Berkley visited to make sure that it was safe for both animals and the artworks.

Since the penguins are Peruvian, Zugazagoitia spoke to them in Spanish in order to break the ice and make them feel comfortable when they arrived at the space. The penguins then wandered the halls as they admired Baroque and Impressionist masterpieces examining paintings by the likes of Caravaggio and Monet.

Zugazagoitia said it started as an April Fools joke during a discussion on how to reopen the museum during the pandemic. He added the visit from the trio of Humboldt penguins has certainly brought some joy to the community during a difficult time. All three penguins are under eight years old, the South American birds generally live more than 30 years. 

Although the museum has not yet announced a reopening date, Zugazagoitia says it has been working to keep its community engaged, including by migrating its festival celebrations online. The Kansas City Zoo reopened on Saturday.