Image & Loan Requests

High-resolution digital images of artworks from the BMA permanent collection are available for research, publication, and commercial reproduction.

To request images, please first search our online collection for object details and note the artist/maker/culture, title/object name, and accession number of the artwork(s).

Then, compile the details of your use, either with a brief description or, if your project is a publication, following the guidelines below:

Scholarly/Nonprofit or Commercial Use (choose one):
Title of Publication/Project:
Author/Director/Producer/Designer:
Type of Publication/Project:
Print Run Quantity, Download Limit, or Term Length:
Publisher/Producer:
Publication/Release Date:
Language(s) of Distribution:
Countries of Distribution:
Price:
E-publication (Y/N. If Y, in what form):
Image use, if in print(color or b/w, size relative to the page — 1/4, 1/2, full page, cover):
Other uses, if any (i.e. promotional, merchandise, web, video — please be specific):
Image Deadline:

Finally, send artwork information, use details, and your contact information in an email to rights@artbma.org.

Please note all requests are subject to review. Allow up to 12 weeks for order processing, depending on image availability and photography needs. Rush orders may be accommodated with some advance notice and payment of additional fees.

Prepayment

Upon approval of your project, you will be sent a contract for your signature and an invoice for payment of any applicable fees. The contract will include the BMA’s terms of use and all image caption information. Signing this contract indicates you understand and agree to the terms of use.

Accepted forms of payment include credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AmericanExpress), wire transfers, and checks drawn from U.S. banks. The invoice will include all relevant information for completion of payment.

Payment and signed contract must be received in our office before digital images are delivered.

New Photography

A significant portion, but not all, of the BMA’s collection is photographed. If you request a work that does not have photography, we may be able to photograph it at your request. If new photography is possible, you will be notified and provided with an anticipated completion date. Please note: New photography will incur additional fees.

The BMA reserves the right to cancel requests for new photography. Should this occur, you will be provided with an appropriate explanation and full refund.

Copyright

While the Museum owns the works in its collection, it does not own the copyrights for the works. You are responsible for obtaining all other permissions required for your use of the art object(s) and the image(s).

Press Use

To view and request images for press and media use, including images for current exhibitions, please visit our press room or email media@artbma.org.

Classroom Use

Scholars with ArtStor accounts may browse a portion of the BMA collection in our image library.

Contact

For more information, please contact our Image Services and Rights Department at rights@artbma.org.

The BMA regularly lends works of art to colleague institutions to deepen knowledge of a particular artist, theme, or epoch; to widen access to the BMA collection; and to serve the public good by supporting projects that foster art appreciation. Borrowing institutions are required to treat BMA objects in the same manner they are accorded at the BMA.

Please submit requests for loans to loanrequest@artbma.org.

The request should include:

• a formal request to the attention of the Museum’s Director sent electronically to loanrequest@artbma.org;
• exhibition title, dates, and venue(s); (The BMA will only consider loans to venues that have been named in the request)
• exhibition synopsis;
• relevance of requested object(s) to the exhibition;
• work(s) requested including the accession number(s)
• a completed American Association of Museums standard facility report, which must include satisfactory environmental readings for the same period of the loan request from the previous year; and
• a contact name, email address, and telephone number for the administration of the loan.

The borrower should submit a request at least eight months for domestic borrowers and twelve months for international borrowers of the exhibition’s opening to allow sufficient time for consideration and approval of the request, for conservation treatment and preparation of the object(s), and for approval of the borrowing institution’s facility report and environmental conditions. For new borrowers and borrowers whose facilities have undergone renovations, the Baltimore Museum of Art will require at least six months of satisfactory environmental readings before a loan can be approved.

The official loans review process will not begin until a request has been submitted following the above outlined process.

For further information, please contact Assistant Registrar, Loans and Exhibitions Jamiee Shim at jshim@artbma.org or 443-573-1739.

The Baltimore Museum of Art is planning a construction project which will include reimagining the early modern European art galleries and several other museum spaces. While we are still in the process of finalizing the schedule, we anticipate the construction phase of the project to begin in February 2025 and continue through to the anticipated re-opening in fall 2026.

Due to significant demands associated with this project, the museum will have reduced capacity to handle loan requests for works from all departments. In addition, we are instituting a loan moratorium from July 2024 through July 2026 for works from the collection areas of decorative arts; the arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands; and European art from 1400-1800. Loan requests that have been submitted and approved in advance of July 2024 will be honored. We hope that we will be able to resume our normal lending activities in late 2026.

We do apologize for any inconvenience this moratorium may cause and thank you in advance for your understanding.