How do I search for images?

1 ] Always start with a broad search term such as the surname of an artist or a city to get a general sense of the collection in your area of interest.

2 ] You can refine your search using multiple terms, entered in any order. For example, enter guercino red chalk to find red chalk drawings by Guercino. A string of search terms assumes “AND” between each term.

3 ] Quoted expressions will yield an exact result. Enter School of Athens to limit your search to images of Raphael’s Vatican fresco while excluding everything in the city of Athens.

4 ] To find works by more than one artist, use OR between the name of each artist. For example, enter pollock OR kooning to find paintings by Jackson Pollock or Willem de Kooning. You may extend this search to include more than two artists. For example, enter pollock or kooning or gottlieb to find works by all three artists.

5 ] If you know the Item ID (unique identifying number for each record in the database visible below the thumbnail image on the Search Result page), you can enter the number in the first field of the Item ID search. To find a range of images by Item ID, (for example, to find ID numbers 37890–37900, enter the first number in the first field and the second number in the second field. Many images are entered into the database sequentially, but this is not always the case.

The Search Result Page displays your images including a thumbnail image and descriptive data. 

Images are available in two sizes: Medium (maximum size 480 pixels) and Large (maximum size 1024 pixels)

You may choose to view Medium and Large images on a Black Matte or a White Matte.

There is an idea number below each image in the Search Result Page  If you find a mistake, please notify the Media Center via email with the correction and and cite the ID Number.