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Rights and Reproductions

High-Resolution Image Requests

Our images are available to download at low resolution for personal and Fair Dealing use only. To request a high resolution image of an object, please fill out the following Image Request Form and email it to Christina MacDonald, Collections Manager (christina@gardinermuseum.on.ca).

Please allow 3-4 weeks for a response. Licenses granted are for one-time use only. Subsequent uses of an image require additional permissions. For images reproduced in a print publication, we require that one copy of the publication be sent to the Gardiner Museum.

Before images will be released, the Gardiner Museum must receive

    The signed non-exclusive license agreement
    Payment (if applicable)
    Permission from the copyright holder (if applicable)

When all of the above criteria have been met, images will be sent via email or a web-based file transfer service.

If you are a member of the press looking for images, please visit the News & Media section on the Museum's website.

Fees

The Gardiner Museum charges for the use of our images. The fee will depend on whether photography of the work exists or not, who is using the image and what they’ll be used for. Click here for our current fee schedule.

Copyright and the Permanent Collection

Unless otherwise noted, copyright of all images of the permanent collection belongs to the Gardiner Museum. Permission to use these images must be obtained from the Gardiner Museum, as well as the copyright holder of the reproduced object, if applicable.

Where possible, the Gardiner Museum has obtained permission to reproduce images of the works in our collection that are protected by copyright. Despite the fact that every effort was made, there are instances where the artist cannot be identified or located, or, if the artist is deceased, the heirs cannot be found.

If you have questions or concerns about the copyright protected works in the Gardiner Museum collection, please contact Christina MacDonald, Collections Manager (christina@gardinermuseum.on.ca).

Copyright and Art

The Copyright Act of Canada was established to protect the creator of an artwork from unauthorized or inappropriate use of their work. In Canada, copyright protection begins when the work is created and ends 50 years after the artist’s death. Once the artist is deceased, copyright is held by their estate or heirs until the term of the copyright ends. Artists and their estate occasionally use artist collectives to manage the licensing of their works.

Permission is required to reproduce images of copyright protected artworks.

If you wish to reproduce images of a work that is protected by the Copyright Act of Canada, you must contact the copyright holder to obtain permission. Please contact the Gardiner Museum if you require assistance identifying if a work is still under copyright protection. We’ll be happy to help you get in touch with the copyright holder for permission.

Fair Dealing

The Gardiner Museum encourages and supports the use of our images in accordance with the Fair Dealing clause of the Copyright Act of Canada.

Fair Dealing allows for the use of images without obtaining copyright permissions for the following purposes:

    Research or Private Study
    Criticism or Review
    News Reporting

If you are using an image of a work from the Gardiner Museum collection for one of the above purposes, we require that you include the following credit information: artist, title, date and credit line. If you’re using the online database, the information you’re looking for can be found in the object record.

Gardiner Museum Photography Policy

The Gardiner Museum permits non-flash photography in our galleries unless otherwise posted and is for personal use only (not reproduction). Due to concerns for the safety of our objects and museum visitors, we do not allow tripods or selfie-sticks.