The Met Collection (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) provides open digital access to more than 500,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture. Through its Open Access initiative launched in 2017, The Met provides all images of public-domain works under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) for unrestricted global use.
Key Museum Highlights
- Open Access (CC0) Artwork: Over 400,000 high-resolution images of public-domain artworks available for free download and commercial reuse.
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Curated pedagogical essays and geographical timelines mapping the evolution of global art movements.
- Exhaustive Catalog Records: Comprehensive provenance records, exhibition histories, publication references, and object dimensions.
- The Met Open Access API: Free REST API allowing developers and researchers to query artwork metadata and high-resolution image URLs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “Open Access” mean on The Met website?
It means images of artworks believed to be in the public domain are dedicated to the public domain under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) with no licensing fees.
Can I use Met images for commercial products?
Yes. Under CC0, you can copy, modify, distribute, and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, without asking permission.
Does The Met provide a free API for developers?
Yes. The Met Collection API provides unauthenticated access to over 470,000 museum records in structured JSON format.