License & Usage
Understanding public domain status and how you can use these artworks
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Unless expressly stated otherwise, ArtBee makes no warranties about the copyright status or public domain status of any artwork and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
You are responsible for determining the rights status and securing whatever permission may be needed for your intended use. You may find additional information about the copyright status of artworks on the websites of the museums that have made them available.
DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this page is to help the public understand how artworks on ArtBee may be used. This page does not constitute legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a legal professional. When there is a license or rights statement from a source museum, this page only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a license, and should not be used to license your work.
General Information About Public Domain Works
To the best of our knowledge, based on information from source museums, we believe the artworks on ArtBee are in the public domain. If an artwork is in the public domain in your jurisdiction, you may generally:
- Download and use images for personal or commercial projects
- Modify, transform, or build upon the works
- Redistribute the images without asking permission
- Use them in products for sale
No attribution is legally required for public domain works, though it is always appreciated when crediting the artist and museum source.
Note: Public domain status may vary by jurisdiction. Please verify copyright status in your location before use.
Museum Open Access
In recent years, several major museums and cultural institutions around the world have instituted open access policies by designating public domain artworks in their collections with Creative Commons Zero (CC0) or similar licenses. These institutions include:
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Rijksmuseum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- And many others
ArtBee aggregates these collections into one searchable platform, making it easier to discover and download high-quality public domain artworks.
Photographs of 2D Artworks
All images on ArtBee are photographs or scans of two-dimensional artworks (paintings, prints, drawings). For such reproductions, we mirror the stance established by museums and supported by legal precedent:
"Faithful photographic reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works are themselves in the public domain."
This principle is based on several court rulings, most notably the U.S. case Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. (1999), which established that exact photographic reproductions of public domain artworks lack sufficient originality to qualify for copyright protection.
Public Domain Status
Works enter the public domain through various mechanisms:
United States
Works published before January 1, 1929 are in the public domain in the United States. The cutoff date increases annually as older works enter the public domain.
International (Life + Years Rule)
In most countries, copyright expires a certain number of years after the artist's death:
- Life + 70 years: Most of Europe, Australia, many other countries
- Life + 50 years: Canada, New Zealand, some African and Asian countries
- Life + 100 years: Mexico
A comprehensive list of copyright durations by country is available on Wikipedia.
European Union Copyright Directive
The European Union's Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (summary) was adopted on April 17, 2019, entered into force on June 6, 2019, and implemented by member states on June 7, 2021. Article 14 explicitly states:
"Member States shall provide that, when the term of protection of a work of visual art has expired, any material resulting from an act of reproduction of that work is not subject to copyright or related rights, unless the material resulting from that act of reproduction is original in the sense that it is the author's own intellectual creation."
This directive reinforces that faithful reproductions of public domain visual artworks remain in the public domain throughout the EU.
Limitation of Liability & Disclaimers
ArtBee provides this information for educational purposes only and makes no warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the copyright status, public domain status, or accuracy of any information provided. Copyright laws vary significantly by jurisdiction, and the public domain status of a work may differ depending on your location.
ArtBee does not own the rights to artworks and cannot grant or deny permission for their use. We are not liable for any damages arising from your use of artworks obtained through this platform, including but not limited to copyright infringement claims.
You are solely responsible for determining whether your intended use is lawful in your jurisdiction and for obtaining any necessary permissions. When in doubt, consult with a qualified legal professional.
For complete legal terms, please review our Terms of Service.
Questions?
If you have questions about licensing or copyright, please refer to the source museum's collections policy or contact them directly. Links to source museum pages are provided on each artwork detail page.