Browse collections online
How online collections and virtual tours work, where to find detailed information about an object, and how not to get lost among thousands of records.
art online: how to view, find and use images of artworks
Dmii — art online
Paintings, sculpture, textiles and antique ceramics are now available at any hour on a phone screen. But the more images there are, the harder it becomes to tell which one is accurate, who made it and whether you can put it in a report or on a cover. We explain all this calmly and step by step — no advertising and no big promises.
What separates a good image of an artwork from a random one is not the file size but an honest caption beneath it.
Where to start
Find and check an image
How to track down a better-quality picture, check the caption against other sources, and spot a cropped, recoloured or mirrored copy.
Rights and licences
What the public domain is, how long copyright lasts, and how an open licence differs from a vague "take it as it is" permission.
Digitise your own
How to photograph or scan children's drawings, old postcards and family objects so that colours and details are not lost.
Reference sections
- Guides
Practical guides: how to find, check, caption and lawfully use an image of an artwork. The article catalogue is here too.
- Tools
The kinds of tools available: online collections, reverse image search, zoomable viewers, scanners, colour charts and metadata.
- Comparisons
Scan or photo, online collection or search result, open licence or public domain — a comparison of what really matters.
- Problems
The image is blurry, the colours are off, the author is unknown, captions disagree, a tour will not load — what to check, in order.
- Safety
Fake websites and shops, image rights, personal data and photos on social media — what to watch out for.
- Glossary
Terms in plain English: registering museum objects, resolution and colour accuracy, copyright and licences.
- Questions
Answers about this reference, about images of artworks on the internet and the rights attached to them.
How to find a good image of a painting in five steps
Start with the official collection
If you know where the work is held, look at that institution's online collection first. The image there is usually taken from the original, with a detailed record alongside it.
Copies on random websites often go back to a single old photograph taken in poor light.
Check the caption and dimensions
Compare the title, date, materials and dimensions with the object record. If the picture's proportions do not match the stated size, the image has probably been cropped or stretched.
Choose a high resolution
Look for a version in which you can see brushstrokes, cracks in the varnish and the artist's signature. A small picture is fine for viewing, but not enough for printing or studying details.
Check the rights
Find out whether the work is in the public domain and on what terms the image itself has been published. Terms of use are usually shown next to the file or in the website's rules.
Credit the source
Below the image, give the artist, title, date, where the work is held and where the file came from. Readers can then find the original, and you can show that you used the image in good faith.
The essentials
Are you a museum?
No. Dmii is an independent reference, not a museum, gallery or cultural institution. We hold no collections and do not speak on behalf of any institution.
Do you sell reproductions or tickets?
No. We do not sell anything or take payments. Buy tickets only on a museum's official website or at its ticket desk.
Can I use a painting I found online?
It depends on two things: whether copyright in the work itself has expired, and on what terms that particular image has been published. Rules differ between countries. See the guides and comparisons sections for details.
Can I take photos in a museum?
That is up to each museum. Photography rules often differ for permanent displays and temporary exhibitions, so check them on the institution's website or with gallery staff, and follow them.
About the project
This domain used to host a museum website. Its pages and images have not survived; the Dmii reference is not connected with the museum and does not restore its materials — the name simply came to us with the domain.
Today we write about how to look at art on the internet: online collections, image quality, checking captions, copyright and licences, digitising at home and fake websites. For official information about museums, go to their own websites.
See also
- Guides
Practical guides: how to find, check, caption and lawfully use an image of an artwork. The article catalogue is here too.
- Comparisons
Scan or photo, online collection or search result, open licence or public domain — a comparison of what really matters.
- Problems
The image is blurry, the colours are off, the author is unknown, captions disagree, a tour will not load — what to check, in order.
- Safety
Fake websites and shops, image rights, personal data and photos on social media — what to watch out for.
- Questions
Answers about this reference, about images of artworks on the internet and the rights attached to them.
Sources
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation (arts. 1281, 1282)
- Russian Federal Law No. 54-FZ
- Creative Commons — licence descriptions (in general terms)
Information on copyright terms, the public domain, open licences and the registration of museum objects was checked against the texts of the laws and the licence descriptions as of the date this page was prepared. The legal points refer to Russian law; terms and exceptions differ from country to country, so check the rules where you live. Online collections and image viewers work differently on different websites, so we describe them in general terms.