IMAGE AND RESEARCH REQUESTS

Image Requests

The Hirshhorn offers high-resolution images of collection objects for scholarly, personal, or commercial uses.

SCHOLARLY: Includes academic publications such as catalogues and peer-reviewed articles or entries.
PERSONAL USE: Includes educational or research purposes only and may not be published or reproduced.
COMMERCIAL: Includes, but not limited to, textbooks, for-profit publications, commercial television, video reproductions, and printed material available to a wider audience. The Hirshhorn works with Smithsonian Enterprises to write a contract and determine fees appropriate to the type of request. Photo Services Fees still apply and will be added to the Smithsonian Enterprises invoice. All Commercial Requests require 3 weeks in addition to our normal photo request timeline.

TIMELINE

All photo requests require eight (8) weeks to process. Requests with shorter deadlines will be subject to a Rush Request fee per requested image.

$100 for 1-week deadline
$75 for 2-week deadline
$60 for 3-week deadline
$50 for 4-week deadline
$40 for 5- to 6-week deadline
$30 for 7-week deadline

More information on Image Service fees will be provided after receiving Image Request Form.

DELIVERABLES

All high-resolution images are sent at 300dpi in RGB color and are intended for color reproductions. Images are sent via electronic transfer with a 30-day download window.

Public Domain Works

As of February 25, 2020, the Smithsonian Institution has released millions of collection records and images into the public domain. The Hirshhorn joined this effort by identifying several hundred works of art as CC0, or No Rights Reserved. These works show the CC0 icon on our Collection Search webpage, and available images for these works are free to download for personal and academic purposes. Additional information about Hirshhorn’s Open Access efforts can be found on the Open Access webpage. More information about the Smithsonian’s Open Access efforts can be found on the Open Access website.

ARTIST RIGHTS

Certain works of art, as well as photographs of those works, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the Institution. The responsibility for ascertaining any other necessary permission remains with the applicant. Please see the Smithsonian Institution’s Terms of Use.

Please contact ARS, the United States’ major artist rights holder, for additional rights.

PRESS REQUESTS

Please direct all press inquiries to HMSGPress@si.edu. Visit our Press Room for further information and updated press releases.

PAYMENT

An invoice will be provided outlining the Image Service fees due upon the processing of each request. We accept payment in US dollars by credit card, check, or wire transfer (with additional fees). All fees are nonrefundable. Fees are due prior to receiving permission and the image(s).

Request Images

Your Name *

Email *

Phone *

Organization/Affiliation *

Image Deadline *
Fill in your deadline to receive image file(s) at least 2 months in advance. Earlier deadlines will result in Rush Fees and cannot be guaranteed.

Which image(s) are you requesting *
Enter artwork titles and artists. Add as much detail as possible. Artwork information is available on our website or collections.si.edu.

Permission Only Request:
Select if you already have a HMSG image and are only requesting permission to reuse.

How will you be paying? *
Credit CardCheckBank Transfer ($25 bank fee)

Publication Information

Title

Author(s)

Publisher

Publication Type

Print Run

Expected Publication Date

Reproduction Sizes *
Enter expected reproduction size for each requested image.

Anything else we should know?

RESEARCH REQUESTS

RESEARCH REQUESTS (ARCHIVAL RECORDS)

Researchers may request access to artwork archival records to support ongoing research. These records are maintained and updated by the Museum. Preliminary artwork information can be found on our website or the Smithsonian Collections website.

Staff will scan documents and provide access to digitized records via a secure virtual delivery method. All requests require a minimum of eight (8) weeks to fulfill from form submission date.

There is a $30 scanning fee per artwork requested. We accept payment in US dollars by credit card, check, or wire transfer (with additional fees). All fees are nonrefundable. Fees are due prior to receiving permission and the image(s).

ONSITE VISITS (ARTWORK VIEWING)

Researchers, scholars, and visiting curators may request to view artworks.

We are accepting new requests for visits in January 2025 or later. We are unable to accept requests for any time earlier than January 2025.

Request Research Visit or Archival Material

Your Name *

Email *

Phone *

Organization/Affiliation *

I’m Requesting *
A visit to view artworks.Archival material to support ongoing research.

When would you like to visit?
Fill in your preferred dates at least 3 months in advance. Visits are offered Monday-Friday between 10am and 4pm pending staff availability.

Archival Material Deadline
Fill in your deadline to receive archival material at least 3 months in advance. Earlier deadlines cannot be guaranteed.

Which artwork(s) are you interested in? *
Enter artwork titles and artists. Add as much detail as possible. Artwork information is available on our website or collections.si.edu.

Is this part of a future loan request?
yesno