The J. Paul Getty Museum, not to be mixed up with the notorious Getty Images photo agency, has recently introduced its “Open Content Program”. The Getty Museum thus provides over 4600 publicly accessible pictures, including over 500 photographs, of its own collection royalty-free. That is to say, all of the pictures and photographs may be legally downloaded free of charge, edited and even used for commercial purposes! 🙂
Nadar
Among the photos you’ll find quite a few renowned names such as Nadar, Walker Evans, Lewis W. Hine, Eugène Atget and many more. I already know some of them from diverse documentaries and broadcasts on photography. Especially Nadar’s dreamy portrait shots, I have always wanted to see in full size and perhaps chase them through Photoshop. 🙂
Lewis W. Hine
Walker Evans
Eugène Atget
According to James Cuno, CEO of the Getty Museum, further collections of the museum and Getty Research Institute are planned to be screened for copyright-free pictures in the following months in order to be added to the “Open Content Program”. A great idea, if you ask me. All, absolutely all, institutions dedicated to art and science should take a similar step. The more freely-circulating ideas out there, the more nourishment for young, creative minds to create something new and better. 🙂
