Wanted: Photos of Famous Artwork
Jay Nelson
The original artist retains copyright control. Photographs of
copyrighted material have restrictions on distribution, just as do
famous landmarks (the Lone Cypress or whatever it is called up in
Monterey is trademarked and cannot be reproduced without permission
except for personal use) and other things that are readily identifiable
in an image (e.g. a particular house, say Falling Water, or car with
license plate). Normally a property release is required to publish an
image of a recognizable privately owned property. It is both a
commercial exploitation protection and a privacy protection.
Copyright privileges expire, however. In the U.S. it is something like
50 years. I am sure Leonardo has no claims on Mona Lisa, but the owners
would probably attempt to control publication. The main reason would be
1) maintaining the right for their own commercial exploitation of the
object and 2) maintaining a level of quality for reproduction (your
point and shoot takes a bad picture under fluorescent lights) that meets
their standards. Ansel Adams has only one officially authorized company
for reproductions as an effort to posthumously maintain his rigorous
standards. I am sure the magazine editors are well aware of what they
can and cannot print without a property release.
jay
Alan Bell
Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
Are famous artworks such as these copyrighted (like everything else)?
Assuming they are, would the Louvre (for instance) really get upset if I
ran a photo of the Mona Lisa along with a magazine article?
Kevin Van Sant
On Wed, 8 Jan 1997 21:41:38 GMT, b...@netcom.com (Alan Bell) wrote:
>Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
>speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
>Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
>
I maintain a jazz resource web site, one of the pages is devoted to
jazz art and photos. I do however also have a link on that page to an
incredible site that has high quality scans of precisely what you are
looking for. I believe there was one version with and one without
thumbnails. Go to the Art & Photography page at the URL in my sig to
find the link.
(sorry, short on time or I would dig up the URL for you)
================================================
Kevin Van Sant kvan...@pobox.com
Jazz Guitar
calendar and booking information at:
http://www.mindspring.com/~kvansant/kvs_home.htm
For a complete index of internet jazz resources:
http://www.pobox.com/~onestopjazz
================================================
Tam Hartell
Kanda' Jalen Eirsie wrote:
>
> Greetings...
>
> On Wed, 8 Jan 1997 21:41:38 GMT, b...@netcom.com (Alan Bell) wrote:
>
> >Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
> >speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
> >Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
>
> As long as you give credit where credit is due you should be
> alright. I'm not a lawyer, but I think that images of the works
> you have in mind are considered public domain.
>
> The louvre : http://www.Louvre.fr/
>
> >
> >Are famous artworks such as these copyrighted (like everything else)?
> >Assuming they are, would the Louvre (for instance) really get upset if I
> >ran a photo of the Mona Lisa along with a magazine article?
>
>
> ll
> [*=- From Deep in the Dungeons -=*] Kanda'Jalen Eirsie
> [*=- Of Kanda's Lair -=*] The Lord High Mage
> [*=- Dragonseekers Always Welcome -=*] kan...@iti2.net
> http://iti2.net/kandaje/
>
> When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet,
> and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered
> side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the
> back of a cat; the two will hover, spinning inches above the
> ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail
> could easily link New York with Chicago.
Also Planet Art CD's and I think Corel has a CD or two for small amount
of money (under $40, if I recall correctly).
chris
>> When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet,
>> and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered
>> side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the
>> back of a cat; the two will hover, spinning inches above the
>> ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail
>> could easily link New York with Chicago.
No - you would have to put the toast, butter side up under the cat -
which would make a real mess between New York and Chicago.
chris
Gary Zuercher
In article <5bdlh6$b...@brtph500.bnr.ca>, diane....@pobox.com wrote:
> In article <32d8a668...@news.iti2.net>, kan...@iti2.net (Kanda'
Jalen Eirsie) writes:
> |> Greetings...
> |>
> |> On Wed, 8 Jan 1997 21:41:38 GMT, b...@netcom.com (Alan Bell) wrote:
> |>
> |> >Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
> |> >speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
> |> >Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
Sorry. The electronic rights to all great works of art now belong to Bill Gates.
You can reach him somewhere in Washington state, I think.;)
--
Regards,
Chroma
Diane Wilson
In article <32d8a668...@news.iti2.net>, kan...@iti2.net (Kanda' Jalen Eirsie) writes:
|> Greetings...
|>
|> On Wed, 8 Jan 1997 21:41:38 GMT, b...@netcom.com (Alan Bell) wrote:
|>
|> >Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
|> >speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
|> >Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
|>
|> Try the louvre.. They have pictures of just about everything.
|> As long as you give credit where credit is due you should be
|> alright. I'm not a lawyer, but I think that images of the works
|> you have in mind are considered public domain.
|>
|> The louvre : http://www.Louvre.fr/
|>
|> >Are famous artworks such as these copyrighted (like everything else)?
|> >Assuming they are, would the Louvre (for instance) really get upset if I
|> >ran a photo of the Mona Lisa along with a magazine article?
|>
|> Better to consult a lawyer. (then strangle it :] )
As I understand copyright law, such protection originated in the early
twentieth century. It was originally for a shorter time period (I think
28 years, with one 28-year renewal) but a while back it was changed to
extend to 75 years beyond the author's death. Generally speaking, anything
prior to the twentieth century ought to be reasonably safe. Same for
early twentieth century, provided the author/artist has been dead for
75 years.
For twentieth century work, it can be a bit more complicated, depending
on the date of the work, the date of the author's death, and the date
when the author's country accepted international copyright standards.
Because of changes in copyright law over the years, different standards
may apply depending on what laws were in effect when the work was
created, and whether the work was still protected at the times when
the law changed. For this stuff, yes, you do need a lawyer, unless an
image is clearly in public domain.
Another gotcha is that something like an art book can be copyrighted
because the copyright applies to the book as a whole, including write-ups,
presentation, and what-not. The images in the book might have come from
public domain, but the whole of the book is copyrighted. What are the
implications of copying a public-domain image from such a book? Ask a
lawyer. And check the copyright notices (or absence of same) in the front
of the book.
There's also the fair use doctrine, which allows a "reasonable amount"
of copying for review, commentary, or personal use. I think I understand
how this works for text, but I wouldn't want to risk a guess for images.
The type of lawyer you want is an intellectual property lawyer. Yes, it
is a specialty, and they do tend to be a bit more civilized than some other
species of lawyers.
For a really good source of public domain artwork, go cruise a used-book
store for old books. Even reprints may be usable; I'm currently using a
line-drawing from the original Alice in Wonderland on my web page. The
book is fairly new, but since it's essentially a reprint of a 19th-century
work, it had no copyright notice at all.
--
Diane Wilson, gender refusnik The rejoicing is forced, created under
dia...@mindspring.com threat.... It's as if someone were
http://www.lava.net/~dewilson/ beating you with a stick, saying "Your
http://www.lava.net/~dewilson/asd/ business is rejoicing...." --Shostakovich
Steve Nichols
In article <garyz-ya07558000...@news.mindspring.com>,
ga...@chromaconcepts.com (Gary Zuercher) wrote:
>Sorry. The electronic rights to all great works of art now belong to Bill Gates.
>You can reach him somewhere in Washington state, I think.;)
Not just electronic rights, he has all rights to all forms of reproduction,
both now and for rest of time and includes paintings, sculpture, all
electronic art, cave paintings, music, muzak, poetry, prose, origami etc
etc.
I believe the email address is master@the_universe.com
or try http://www.megalomania.com/history_of_art/lord_of_all_creation.html
;)
Steve Nichols - Photography and Image Manipulation
mailto:st...@niccon.demon.co.uk
http://www.niccon.demon.co.uk
George Welcher
Kanda' Jalen Eirsie wrote:
>
> Greetings...
>
> On Wed, 8 Jan 1997 21:41:38 GMT, b...@netcom.com (Alan Bell) wrote:
>
> >Is there a source for photos of famous artworks of all periods. I'm
> >speaking of works like the Mona Lisa, Blue Boy, Nude Descending a
> >Staircase, Warhol soupcans, etc. Is there a website, CD, anything?
>
> Try the louvre.. They have pictures of just about everything.
> As long as you give credit where credit is due you should be
> alright. I'm not a lawyer, but I think that images of the works
> you have in mind are considered public domain.
>
> The louvre : http://www.Louvre.fr/
>
> >
> >Are famous artworks such as these copyrighted (like everything else)?
> >Assuming they are, would the Louvre (for instance) really get upset if I
> >ran a photo of the Mona Lisa along with a magazine article?
>
> Better to consult a lawyer. (then strangle it :] )
>
> [*=- From Deep in the Dungeons -=*] Kanda'Jalen Eirsie
> [*=- Of Kanda's Lair -=*] The Lord High Mage
> [*=- Dragonseekers Always Welcome -=*] kan...@iti2.net
> http://iti2.net/kandaje/
>
> and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered
> side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the
> back of a cat; the two will hover, spinning inches above the
> ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail
> could easily link New York with Chicago.
My understanding is that works over 50 years old are in the publick
domain, but yes; sources must be credited.
George (I am not a lawyer! I am a human being!) Welcher
Mary Morrison
The images may be out of the copyright protection but what about the
photographs of the images. Or do you plan to vist the museums and do
your own photographic work? (if they will let you) I would be a bit
careful copying any image without checking first on the rights of both
the original creator and the photographer to boot.
--
Mary
serap...@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~seraphonic
Patrick Lajeunesse
George Welcher <ya15...@alumnet.yorku.ca> wrote:
> My understanding is that works over 50 years old are in the publick
> domain, but yes; sources must be credited.
>
> George (I am not a lawyer! I am a human being!) Welcher
The _works_ are in the public domain - the photographs are not. Anyone
can use images of the Mona Lisa in their design, but you can't use a
photograph of the Mona Lisa unless the photographer has given you
permission.
--
Patrick Lajeunesse
mg...@worldcom.ch
http://home.worldcom.ch/~mgoto/
Rick Fortin
Patrick Lajeunesse
Paul Doering <pdoe...@frontiernet.net> wrote:
> > The _works_ are in the public domain - the photographs are not. Anyone
> > can use images of the Mona Lisa in their design, but you can't use a
> > photograph of the Mona Lisa unless the photographer has given you
> > permission.
>
> Are you sure of this, Patrick? My (non-lawyer's) understanding is that
> copyright is denied on photographs for which only one rendering is
> possible. For example, I can have no copyright on a photo of the Horsehead
> Nebula unless I can take a photo wholly unlike any ever taken before. I
> judge that a similar proviso would cover photos of the Mona Lisa.
Sure, anyone can go to Paris and take a picture of the Mona Lisa - I
don't know how good it will be, considering you have to do it with no
flash, through a screen, about 15 feet away, and through a crowd of
other photographers and tourists.
Photographing paintings is very exacting, difficult work. The
photographers who do this professionally are usually experts in this
specific discipline. In addition, you need special permission from the
museum to photograph most works with professional equipment (even a
flash). These photographs are _not_ in the public domain just because
they're images of something that is.
On the other hand, it's possible that the Louvre has placed some
photographs of its works into the public domain. But if they or whoever
owns the photographs hasn't, you can't have them.
Marion Margoshes
In <32E3CF...@corel.ca> Rick Fortin <ri...@corel.ca> writes:
>R.
There is a Picasso Web site and a Museum of Modern Art Web site.
You can search for them.
Ziggy
Actually, the digital photo's of famous artwork is copywrited. If it's for
your own personal use, I doesn't matter. If you use the artwork in a
publication, you need permission from whoever has the rights to the digital
photo. Currently, Microsoft is trying to accumulate huge masses of
digitized artwork. It's actually good, since you can purchase an incredible
amount of low res artwork for about $50. Coral Inc, has the 10 CD famous
art collections. ( not sure how many collections they have ) For about $30.
Royalty Free. You get 1000 photo's of scanned artwork. The photo's come in
3 different scanned resolutions. The highest resoloution is adequet for
printing, although not spectacular. The lowest resolution is 72dpi, for web
pages, ect. I'm positive Coral, Inc. can help you. After all, that's their
bread and butter.
Larry Jaques
m...@panix.com (Marion Margoshes) wrote:
>>Try http://commerce.corel.ca
There is also the virtual Louvre on the University of North Carolina's
Sunsite website. http://sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/
I was amazed at how well my little HP500c printed them. The canvas
pattern showed up!
.
============================================================
Save the Whales + http://www.diversify.com/ljaques
Collect the whole set! + lja...@diversify.com
============================================================
Lee D Hills
Another source of famous artwork on cd is from a company called
Planet Art. They have a pretty nice selection. Their phone
number in the US is 1 800 200-3405 or 1 310 273-6131. The
800 number is not supposed to be back online until Thursday Jan 23
as they are in the process of moving to a new office. They are also
supposed to be having a new webserver located at:
but I have not been able to connect to it yet. Their current prices
are about US$33 per CD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEE D HILLS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Color Printing & Tektronix, Inc
Imaging Division
mailto:Lee.D...@Tek.Com
http://www.tek.com/Color_Printers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris
Larry Jaques wrote:
>
> m...@panix.com (Marion Margoshes) wrote:
>
> >In <32E3CF...@corel.ca> Rick Fortin <ri...@corel.ca> writes:
>
> >>Try http://commerce.corel.ca
>
> >>R.
> > There is a Picasso Web site and a Museum of Modern Art Web site.
> >You can search for them.
>
> There is also the virtual Louvre on the University of North Carolina's
> Sunsite website. http://sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/
>
Or the official Louvre site. http://www.louvre.fr
Chris Dengler
Try newer stuff at http://iconnsoftware.com/framestop
Larry Jaques
Lee D Hills <lee....@tek.com> wrote:
>Another source of famous artwork on cd is from a company called
>Planet Art. They have a pretty nice selection. Their phone
>number in the US is 1 800 200-3405 or 1 310 273-6131. The
>800 number is not supposed to be back online until Thursday Jan 23
>as they are in the process of moving to a new office. They are also
>supposed to be having a new webserver located at:
>but I have not been able to connect to it yet. Their current prices
>are about US$33 per CD.
That's a pretty good price. How do they compare to Corel's commercial
imaging CD's, ie: Do they have stock photos, too? While we're on this
subject, is anyone here using the Bright Ideas CD's and booklets?
They're $49 each, or roughly $600/yr. I'm evaluating their February
disk now.