Open cultural collections
Where can you reuse museum collection images?
This comparison separates image reuse rights from technical access. Check each object’s rights statement: collection-wide policies can have exceptions.
Quick answer: the Art Institute of Chicago, The Met, Smithsonian, Rijksmuseum, Cleveland Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art all publish substantial open-access material. “Open access” does not mean every image in a collection is reusable.
| Institution | Rights model | Commercial reuse | High-res download | API / bulk data | IIIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Institute of Chicago | Public-domain works and metadata: CC0; verify object | Yes for public-domain material | Yes | Public API | Yes |
| The Met | Public-domain works: CC0 | Yes for CC0 works | Yes | Public API and CSV | Not stated in the checked policy |
| Smithsonian | Open Access assets: CC0 | Yes for CC0 assets | Where supplied | API | Not stated in the checked Open Access documentation |
| Rijksmuseum | Per item: PDM, CC0, CC BY or restricted | Yes for PDM/CC0; CC BY with credit | Yes for freely available works | API and full download | Not stated in the checked data documentation |
| Cleveland Museum of Art | Open Access: CC0 | Yes for CC0 assets | Yes | Public API | Not stated in the checked Open Access documentation |
| National Gallery of Art | Open Access: public-domain works | Yes for open-access images | Yes | Open data | Not stated in the checked Open Access documentation |
How to use this reference
- Find an object in the institution’s collection.
- Read the rights statement attached to that object.
- Use the technical link only after confirming the object-level status.
What the columns mean
Commercial reuse is not a blanket claim for every object. High-res download means the institution states that a high-resolution download is available for eligible material. IIIF is shown only where the official technical documentation explicitly identifies an IIIF image service.
Sources and scope
All links above lead to the institution or its official technical documentation. This is a starting reference, not legal advice. Recheck rights before publishing a reuse project.