Public domain and CC0: why these images are free to show
What it means when a museum releases its images and data as open access.
Every image on this site comes from a museum or archive that has released it for free use. Here is what that means, and why it matters if you want to use art images in your own projects.
Public domain
A work enters the public domain when copyright has expired or never applied. Copyright law varies by country, and for older paintings the question is usually simple. The artists in our collection, such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hokusai, died long ago, and their paintings are no longer protected by copyright. Works by Monet and Van Gogh are also old enough to be out of copyright in most places.
The photograph question
There is a second layer: a museum may own a photograph of a painting and claim rights over it. For a long time many museums restricted use of their images. In the last decade many have released their images openly. The Metropolitan Museum of Art did so in 2017 through its Open Access programme, and the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cleveland Museum of Art have released public domain images and data as well.
What CC0 means
CC0 is a tool from the organisation Creative Commons. A museum or person who applies it gives up the rights they hold in a work, as far as the law allows, so anyone can copy, change and share it, even for commercial purposes, without asking. The Cleveland Museum of Art marks the records on its open access API with CC0 status, and the Met's records have a public domain flag.
How we check
Before using any work on this site, we read the licence flag on the museum's own record. If it is not clearly public domain or CC0, we do not use it. For images that come through Wikimedia Commons, we use only files of works with a matching museum accession number. Each page lists the museum, the accession number and a link to the source.
Using these images yourself
The terms are set by each museum, so always check the current terms on the museum's website. As a general rule, you can print, remix and publish open access images. It is polite to credit the museum, even when you are not required to, and it helps others find the source.
A note on limits
Public domain status does not mean every use is wise. A painting of a real person or a sacred subject can still be used in a way that is misleading or disrespectful, and some countries have rules about how cultural heritage may be shown. Open access is a starting point, not a substitute for judgement.
More guides
- How to look at a painting: a slow-looking guide
- Oil painting basics: what the paint is and why it lasts
- A short guide to Impressionism
- How artists paint light: from candle to sunrise
- Ancient Egyptian art: what to notice
- Greek vases: a beginner's guide
- Chinese bronzes and porcelain: a short tour
- American landscape painting of the 1800s
- How to read a museum label: dates, credit lines and accession numbers
Written with AI assistance and checked against museum records and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.