Museum of Fine Arts Boston Open Access: 500,000 Images from an Encyclopaedic Collection

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is one of the most important and encyclopaedic art museums in the United States, holding a collection of more than 500,000 works spanning 5,000 years of art history from every part of the world. The museum has been a leader in the open access movement, providing free access to over 500,000 high-resolution images from its collection under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licence, with particular strength in American art, Asian art, and ancient Egyptian art.

Founded in 1870, the MFA Boston has grown to become one of the most comprehensive art museums in the United States, with a collection that is particularly celebrated for its extraordinary holdings of American painting and decorative arts, its distinguished Asian art collections, and its important ancient Egyptian art collection. The museum's open access program reflects its mission as a public institution dedicated to making its collections as accessible as possible to the broadest possible audience.

The American Art Collection

American art is one of the most celebrated strengths of the MFA Boston's collection, with a comprehensive collection of American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts that is widely regarded as one of the finest in the United States. The collection covers the full range of American artistic production from the colonial period through the twentieth century, with major works by virtually every significant American painter and sculptor.

The colonial and federal period works are particularly important, with major portraits by John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, and other leading figures of early American painting. The colonial and federal period collection is one of the most important in the United States, providing access to major works that document the specific visual culture of early America.

John Singer Sargent is represented by an extraordinary group of works that document the full range of his achievement as a painter, from his celebrated society portraits through his watercolours and his monumental decorative paintings for the Boston Public Library. The Sargent collection at the MFA Boston is one of the most important in the world, and the high-resolution images available through the open access program allow detailed study of his specific painting techniques.

The American decorative arts collection is another area of exceptional strength, with major works in silver, furniture, ceramics, and other decorative arts media that document the full range of American decorative arts production from the colonial period through the twentieth century. The decorative arts collection is particularly valuable for designers and craftspeople who work with American decorative arts traditions.

The Asian Art Collection

Asian art is one of the most celebrated strengths of the MFA Boston's collection, with one of the most important Asian art collections in the United States covering the full range of Asian artistic traditions from ancient times through the modern era. The collection is particularly strong in Japanese art, with major works in painting, sculpture, ceramics, lacquerware, and textiles that document the full range of Japanese artistic traditions.

The Japanese art collection is particularly celebrated, with major works by leading figures of Japanese painting including Kano school masters and other important traditions. The Japanese painting collection is particularly valuable for artists and designers who want to study the specific visual language and techniques of Japanese painting traditions.

The Chinese art collection covers the full range of Chinese artistic production from ancient bronzes through Song dynasty ceramics and Ming and Qing dynasty painting, with major works that document the extraordinary breadth and depth of Chinese artistic achievement. The Chinese art collection is particularly strong in ceramics, with major works from every period of Chinese ceramic production.

The Ancient Egyptian Art Collection

Ancient Egyptian art is another area of exceptional strength, with the MFA Boston holding one of the most important ancient Egyptian art collections in the United States. The collection covers the full range of ancient Egyptian artistic production from the Predynastic period through the Roman period, with major works in sculpture, painting, relief carving, and other media.

The Old Kingdom sculpture is particularly celebrated, with major works from the pyramid age that document the extraordinary achievement of ancient Egyptian sculptors at the height of their tradition. The Old Kingdom sculpture collection is particularly valuable for artists and designers who want to study the specific visual language and techniques of ancient Egyptian art.

The European Art Collection

European art is covered with considerable depth, with major works by leading figures of European painting from the medieval period through the nineteenth century. The collection is particularly strong in Dutch and Flemish painting, with major works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and other leading figures of the Northern European tradition.

The Search Interface

The MFA Boston's online collection search provides an excellent interface for browsing and searching the open access collection. The search allows filtering by artist, period, medium, culture, and other parameters, making it possible to find images relevant to specific research or creative needs.

Practical Uses for Artists

For painters studying American art traditions, the MFA Boston's collection provides access to high-resolution images of major works from every period of American painting, allowing detailed examination of the specific techniques used by American painters. The ability to study the specific brushwork and colour relationships of major American paintings in high resolution is genuinely valuable.

For designers and craftspeople who work with American or Asian decorative arts traditions, the collection provides an extraordinary range of reference material covering the specific visual traditions of these areas.

The Bottom Line

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston Open Access program provides free, unrestricted access to over 500,000 high-resolution images from one of America's most encyclopaedic art museums, with particular strength in American art, Asian art, and ancient Egyptian art. For artists, designers, researchers, and educators who need high-quality art imagery from these areas, the MFA Boston's open access collection is an essential and genuinely valuable resource.