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Using the Collection

Borrowing Objects

The Gallery actively lends works from its permanent collection to other institutions domestically and abroad. Loans such as these enhance art-historical research and allow a wider audience access to the collection.

Learn more

My Collection

Curate your own collection of artworks with this feature. 

Create a Collection

  • To add a work to your collection, click the Add to My Collection button on the object page or the + icon on the object thumbnail.
  • The works you select will appear on the My Collection page, sorted by title.
  • The works will stay in your collection until you decide to clear them or your browser cache. To remove a work, click the X icon.
  • A new page is added for every 24 works you select.

Share Your Collection

Once you’ve added items, you can easily share your collection with others. Click the Share My Collection button and copy the unique link that’s generated. 

You can also create multiple collections. Just save the share link to your current collection, click the Clear My Collection button, and start adding new works.

Get started by browsing the collection

Obtaining Images

Thousands of images of works in the Gallery’s collection believed to be in the public domain are available for free download through this website. Under Yale University’s Open Access Policy, anyone may use the Gallery’s open-access material without further application, authorization, or fees due to the Gallery or to Yale.

To download open-access images, search the collection and simply click the “download” link beneath the display image in the individual object record.

To request an image of a work that is not illustrated online, is under copyright, or to request digital files in sizes or formats beyond those offered through the website, you may submit an electronic request by completing our online Request for Photography form.

Learn more about using images of artworks in the collection

Object Data

The online collection features Linked.art, which is a framework for publishing and sharing data about art and cultural heritage using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Linked Data principles. It aims to provide a common vocabulary and data model for describing art-related information, making it more interoperable and linked across different sources. This allows for more efficient and accurate discovery and reuse of data, and better support for research and scholarship in the field of art history and cultural heritage. The Linked.art framework is being developed by the Getty Research Institute, in collaboration with other institutions and organizations in the art and cultural heritage community.

Object Appraisal

The Gallery and its staff are unable to authenticate or perform appraisals of works of art or artifacts for the public. We suggest that you consult a reputable art dealer, appraiser, or auction house. You can also contact the Appraisers Association of America for more information on certain types of appraisals.

Related Content

  • View of Later European Art gallery

    Curatorial Areas

    The Gallery’s collection features art in all media from all regions of the globe and across time that now numbers over 300,000 objects.

  • The tan-colored underside of a glazed blue object. A row of numbers appears handwritten on the surface, alongside several stickers. One of the stickers reads in part ORANGERIE DES TUILERIES.

    Provenance Research

    The Gallery actively researches the provenance of all works of art in its collection.

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    Resources

    Individuals and groups can view the collection in a number of study centers, rooms, and archives in downtown New Haven and at the Collection Studies Center at Yale West Campus, in West Haven.

  • Groups & Class Visits

    Come to the Gallery with your group or class for a free guided or self-guided tour of our collection and exhibitions.