The museum is one of 17 institutions from nine countries to become part of Google Art Project, which provides ultra-high resolution images of paintings, sculptures and photographs online.
Works by Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, and Georgia O'Keeffe are just a few from the Art Institute now available at googleartproject.com.
Google Art Project launched last year with about 1,000 works; it plans to expand to 30,000 pieces from 40 countries.
At a news conference with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Georgiadis said the online archive allows people to study art "in a seamless way." Emanuel says the project will "open up a window" to Chicago's Art Institute.
To view the gallery, visit http://www.googleartproject.com/
The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
