The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API

Latest Updates

November 17, 2020

The following search filters have been added to the search endpoint:

November 4, 2020

The following metadata are now available in the API:

For more information about the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API, please visit our Open Access Github page https://github.com/metmuseum/openaccess.

The use of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API is subject to these terms and conditions.

Issues regarding this API can be emailed to openaccess@metmuseum.org.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides select datasets of information on more than 470,000 artworks in its Collection for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use. To the extent possible under law, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this dataset using the Creative Commons Zero license. This work is published from the United States of America. These select datasets are now available for use in any media without permission or fee; they also include identifying data for artworks under copyright. The datasets support the search, use, and interaction with the Museum’s collection.

The Met’s Open Access datasets are available through our API. The API (RESTful web service in JSON format) gives access to all of The Met’s Open Access data and to corresponding high resolution images (JPEG format) that are in the public domain.

Access to the API

At this time, we do not require API users to register or obtain an API key to use the service. Please limit request rate to 80 requests per second.

Endpoints

There are API endpoints available for the following elements:

Objects

GET /public/collection/v1/objects returns a listing of all valid Object IDs available to use

Parameter Format Notes
metadataDate datetime e.g. YYYY-MM-DD Returns any objects with updated data after this date
departmentIds integers that correspond to department IDs e.g. 1 or 3|9|12, delimited with the | character Returns any objects in a specific department

Request

https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects

Response

Field Type Default Notes
total int The total number of publicly-available objects
objectIDs int array [] An array containing the object ID of publicly-available object
Example
Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects

{
	"total": 471581,
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		4,
		5,
		6,
		7,
		8,
		9,
		10,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects?departmentIds=1

{
	"total": 1000, // less than the full amount of publicly-available object IDs
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		4,
		5,
		6,
		7,
		8,
		9,
		10,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects?departmentIds=3|9|12

{
	"total": 1000, // less than the full amount of publicly-available object IDs
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		4,
		5,
		6,
		7,
		8,
		9,
		10,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects?metadataDate=2018-10-22

{
	"total": 1000, // less than the full amount of publicly-available object IDs
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		4,
		5,
		6,
		7,
		8,
		9,
		10,
		// more results ...
	]
}
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects?metadataDate=2018-10-22&departmentIds=3|9|12

{
	"total": 1000, // less than the full amount of publicly-available object IDs
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		4,
		5,
		6,
		7,
		8,
		9,
		10,
		// more results ...
	]
}

Object

GET /public/collection/v1/objects/[objectID] returns a record for an object, containing all open access data about that object, including its image (if the image is available under Open Access)

Parameter Format Notes
objectID 0-9 The unique Object ID for an object

Request

https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/objects/[objectID]

Response

Field Type Notes Example(s)
objectID int Identifying number for each artwork (unique, can be used as key field) 437133
isHighlight boolean When "true" indicates a popular and important artwork in the collection Vincent van Gogh's "Wheat Field with Cypresses"
accessionNumber string Identifying number for each artwork (not always unique) "67.241"
accessionYear string Year the artwork was acquired. "1921"
isPublicDomain boolean When "true" indicates an artwork in the Public Domain Vincent van Gogh's "Wheat Field with Cypresses"
primaryImage string URL to the primary image of an object in JPEG format "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/DT1567.jpg"
primaryImageSmall string URL to the lower-res primary image of an object in JPEG format "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/web-large/DT1567.jpg"
additionalImages array An array containing URLs to the additional images of an object in JPEG format ["https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/LC-EP_1993_132_suppl_CH-004.jpg", "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/LC-EP_1993_132_suppl_CH-003.jpg", "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/LC-EP_1993_132_suppl_CH-002.jpg", "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/LC-EP_1993_132_suppl_CH-001.jpg"]
constituents array An array containing the constituents associated with an object, with the constituent's role, name, ULAN URL, Wikidata URL, and gender, when available (currently contains female designations only). [{"constituentID": 161708,"role": "Artist","name": "Louise Bourgeois","constituentULAN_URL": "http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500057350","constituentWikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q159409","gender": "Female"}]
department string Indicates The Met's curatorial department responsible for the artwork "Egyptian Art"
objectName string Describes the physical type of the object "Dress", "Painting", "Photograph", or "Vase"
title string Title, identifying phrase, or name given to a work of art "Wheat Field with Cypresses"
culture string Information about the culture, or people from which an object was created "Afghan", "British", "North African"
period string Time or time period when an object was created "Ming dynasty (1368-1644)", "Middle Bronze Age"
dynasty string Dynasty (a succession of rulers of the same line or family) under which an object was created "Kingdom of Benin", "Dynasty 12"
reign string Reign of a monarch or ruler under which an object was created "Amenhotep III", "Darius I", "Louis XVI"
portfolio string A set of works created as a group or published as a series. "Birds of America", "The Hudson River Portfolio", "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae"
artistRole string Role of the artist related to the type of artwork or object that was created "Artist for Painting", "Designer for Dress"
artistPrefix string Describes the extent of creation or describes an attribution qualifier to the information given in the artistRole field "In the Style of", "Possibly by", "Written in French by"
artistDisplayName string Artist name in the correct order for display "Vincent van Gogh"
artistDisplayBio string Nationality and life dates of an artist, also includes birth and death city when known. "Dutch, Zundert 1853–1890 Auvers-sur-Oise"
artistSuffix string Used to record complex information that qualifies the role of a constituent, e.g. extent of participation by the Constituent (verso only, and followers) "verso only"
artistAlphaSort string Used to sort artist names alphabetically. Last Name, First Name, Middle Name, Suffix, and Honorific fields, in that order. "Gogh, Vincent van"
artistNationality string National, geopolitical, cultural, or ethnic origins or affiliation of the creator or institution that made the artwork "Spanish"; "Dutch"; "French, born Romania"
artistBeginDate string Year the artist was born "1840"
artistEndDate string Year the artist died "1926"
artistGender string Gender of the artist (currently contains female designations only) "female"
artistWikidata_URL string Wikidata URL for the artist "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q694774"
artistULAN_URL string ULAN URL for the artist "https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500003169"
objectDate string Year, a span of years, or a phrase that describes the specific or approximate date when an artwork was designed or created "1865–67", "19th century", "ca. 1796"
objectBeginDate int Machine readable date indicating the year the artwork was started to be created 1867, 1100, -900
objectEndDate int Machine readable date indicating the year the artwork was completed (may be the same year or different year than the objectBeginDate) 1888, 1100, -850
medium string Refers to the materials that were used to create the artwork "Oil on canvas", "Watercolor", "Gold"
dimensions string Size of the artwork or object "16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)"
dimensionsParsed float Size of the artwork or object in centimeters, parsed [{"element":"Sheet","dimensionType":"Height","dimension":51},{"element":"Plate","dimensionType":"Height","dimension":47.5},{"element":"Sheet","dimensionType":"Width","dimension":72.8},{"element":"Plate","dimensionType":"Width","dimension":62.5}]
measurements array Array of elements, each with a name, description, and set of measurements. Spatial measurements are in centimeters; weights are in kg. [ { "elementName": "Overall", "elementDescription": "Temple proper", "elementMeasurements": { "Height": 640.0813, "Length": 1249.6825, "Width": 640.0813 } } ]
creditLine string Text acknowledging the source or origin of the artwork and the year the object was acquired by the museum. "Robert Lehman Collection, 1975"
geographyType string Qualifying information that describes the relationship of the place catalogued in the geography fields to the object that is being catalogued "Made in", "From", "Attributed to"
city string City where the artwork was created "New York", "Paris", "Tokyo"
state string State or province where the artwork was created, may sometimes overlap with County "Alamance", "Derbyshire", "Brooklyn"
county string County where the artwork was created, may sometimes overlap with State "Orange County", "Staffordshire", "Brooklyn"
country string Country where the artwork was created or found "China", "France", "India"
region string Geographic location more specific than country, but more specific than subregion, where the artwork was created or found (frequently null) "Bohemia", "Midwest", "Southern"
subregion string Geographic location more specific than Region, but less specific than Locale, where the artwork was created or found (frequently null) "Malqata", "Deir el-Bahri", "Valley of the Kings"
locale string Geographic location more specific than subregion, but more specific than locus, where the artwork was found (frequently null) "Tomb of Perneb", "Temple of Hatshepsut", "Palace of Ramesses II"
locus string Geographic location that is less specific than locale, but more specific than excavation, where the artwork was found (frequently null) "1st chamber W. wall"; "Burial C 2, In coffin"; "Pit 477"
excavation string The name of an excavation. The excavation field usually includes dates of excavation. "MMA excavations, 1923–24"; "Khashaba excavations, 1910–11"; "Carnarvon excavations, 1912"
river string River is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river related to the origins of an artwork (frequently null) "Mississippi River", "Nile River", "River Thames"
classification string General term describing the artwork type. "Basketry", "Ceramics", "Paintings"
rightsAndReproduction string Credit line for artworks still under copyright. "© 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York"
linkResource string URL to object's page on metmuseum.org "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547802"
metadataDate datetime Date metadata was last updated 2018-10-17T10:24:43.197Z
repository string "Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY"
objectURL string URL to object's page on metmuseum.org "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547802"
tags array An array of subject keyword tags associated with the object and their respective AAT URL [{"term": "Abstraction","AAT_URL": "http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300056508","Wikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q162150"}]
objectWikidata_URL string Wikidata URL for the object "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q432253"
isTimelineWork boolean Whether the object is on the Timeline of Art History website true
GalleryNumber string Gallery number, where available "131"
Example
{
    "objectID": 45734,
    "isHighlight": false,
    "accessionNumber": "36.100.45",
    "accessionYear": "1936",
    "isPublicDomain": true,
    "primaryImage": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP251139.jpg",
    "primaryImageSmall": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/web-large/DP251139.jpg",
    "additionalImages": [
        "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP251138.jpg",
        "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP251120.jpg"
    ],
    "constituents": [
        {
            "constituentID": 11986,
            "role": "Artist",
            "name": "Kiyohara Yukinobu",
            "constituentULAN_URL": "http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500034433",
            "constituentWikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11560527",
            "gender": "Female"
        }
    ],
    "department": "Asian Art",
    "objectName": "Hanging scroll",
    "title": "Quail and Millet",
    "culture": "Japan",
    "period": "Edo period (1615–1868)",
    "dynasty": "",
    "reign": "",
    "portfolio": "",
    "artistRole": "Artist",
    "artistPrefix": "",
    "artistDisplayName": "Kiyohara Yukinobu",
    "artistDisplayBio": "Japanese, 1643–1682",
    "artistSuffix": "",
    "artistAlphaSort": "Kiyohara Yukinobu",
    "artistNationality": "Japanese",
    "artistBeginDate": "1643",
    "artistEndDate": "1682",
    "artistGender": "Female",
    "artistWikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11560527",
    "artistULAN_URL": "http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500034433",
    "objectDate": "late 17th century",
    "objectBeginDate": 1667,
    "objectEndDate": 1682,
    "medium": "Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk",
    "dimensions": "46 5/8 x 18 3/4 in. (118.4 x 47.6 cm)",
    "measurements": [
        {
            "elementName": "Overall",
            "elementDescription": null,
            "elementMeasurements": {
                "Height": 118.4,
                "Width": 47.6
            }
        }
    ],
    "creditLine": "The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936",
    "geographyType": "",
    "city": "",
    "state": "",
    "county": "",
    "country": "",
    "region": "",
    "subregion": "",
    "locale": "",
    "locus": "",
    "excavation": "",
    "river": "",
    "classification": "Paintings",
    "rightsAndReproduction": "",
    "linkResource": "",
    "metadataDate": "2020-09-14T12:26:37.48Z",
    "repository": "Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY",
    "objectURL": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45734",
    "tags": [
        {
            "term": "Birds",
            "AAT_URL": "http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300266506",
            "Wikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5113"
        }
    ],
    "objectWikidata_URL": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29910832",
    "isTimelineWork": false,
    "GalleryNumber": ""
}

Departments

GET /public/collection/v1/departments returns a listing of all departments

Request

https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/departments

Response

Field Type Default Notes
departments array [] An array containing the JSON objects that contain each department's departmentId and display name. The departmentId is to be used as a query parameter on the `/objects` endpoint
departmentId int - Department ID as an integer. The departmentId is to be used as a query parameter on the `/objects` endpoint
displayName string - Display name for a department
Example
Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/departments

{
  "departments": [
    {
      "departmentId": 1,
      "displayName": "American Decorative Arts"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 3,
      "displayName": "Ancient Near Eastern Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 4,
      "displayName": "Arms and Armor"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 5,
      "displayName": "Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 6,
      "displayName": "Asian Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 7,
      "displayName": "The Cloisters"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 8,
      "displayName": "The Costume Institute"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 9,
      "displayName": "Drawings and Prints"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 10,
      "displayName": "Egyptian Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 11,
      "displayName": "European Paintings"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 12,
      "displayName": "European Sculpture and Decorative Arts"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 13,
      "displayName": "Greek and Roman Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 14,
      "displayName": "Islamic Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 15,
      "displayName": "The Robert Lehman Collection"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 16,
      "displayName": "The Libraries"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 17,
      "displayName": "Medieval Art"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 18,
      "displayName": "Musical Instruments"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 19,
      "displayName": "Photographs"
    },
    {
      "departmentId": 21,
      "displayName": "Modern Art"
    }
  ]
}

GET /public/collection/v1/search returns a listing of all Object IDs for objects that contain the search query within the object’s data

Parameter Format Notes
q Search term e.g. sunflowers Returns a listing of all Object IDs for objects that contain the search query within the object’s data
isHighlight Boolean, true or false. Case sensitive. Returns objects that match the query and are designated as highlights. Highlights are selected works of art from The Met Museum’s permanent collection representing different cultures and time periods.
title Boolean, true or false. Case sensitive. Returns objects that match the query, specifically searching against the title field for objects.
tags Boolean, true or false. Case sensitive. Returns objects that match the query, specifically searching against the subject keyword tags field for objects.
departmentId Integer Returns objects that are a part of a specific department. For a list of departments and department IDs, refer to our /department endpoint: https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/departments
isOnView Boolean, true or false. Case Sensitive. Returns objects that match the query and are on view in the museum.
artistOrCulture Boolean, true or false. Case Sensitive. Returns objects that match the query, specifically searching against the artist name or culture field for objects.
medium String, with multiple values separated by the | operator. Case Sensitive. Returns objects that match the query and are of the specified medium or object type. Examples include: "Ceramics", "Furniture", "Paintings", "Sculpture", "Textiles", etc.
hasImages Boolean, true or false. Case sensitive. Returns objects that match the query and have images.
geoLocation String, with multiple values separated by the | operator. Case Sensitive. Returns objects that match the query and the specified geographic location. Examples include: "Europe", "France", "Paris", "China", "New York", etc.
dateBegin and dateEnd Integer. You must use both dateBegin and dateEnd Returns objects that match the query and fall between the dateBegin and dateEnd parameters. Examples include: dateBegin=1700&dateEnd=1800 for objects from 1700 A.D. to 1800 A.D., dateBegin=-100&dateEnd=100 for objects between 100 B.C. to 100 A.D.

Request

https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search

Response

Field Type Default Notes
total int The total number of publicly-available objects
objectIDs int array [] An array containing the object ID of publicly-available object
Example
Query Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?q=sunflowers

{
	"total": 27,
	"objectIDs": [
		1,
		2,
		3,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Is Highlight Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?isHighlight=true&q=sunflowers

{
	"total": 3,
	"objectIDs": [
		437329,
		436121,
		436535
	]
}
Department ID Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?departmentId=6&q=cat

{
	"total": 361,
	"objectIDs": [
		437329,
		436121,
		436535,
		// more results ...
	]
}

For a list of department IDs, refer to our /departments endpoint:

https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/departments

Is On View Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?isOnView=true&q=sunflower

{
	"total": 19,
	"objectIDs": [
		436524,
		11922,
		2032,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Artist or Culture Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?artistOrCulture=true&q=french

{
	"total": 14643,
	"objectIDs": [
		459199,
		189708,
		189709,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Medium Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?medium=Quilts|Silk|Bedcovers&q=quilt

{
	"total": 15,
	"objectIDs": [
		229155,
		227076,
		229930,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Has Images Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?hasImages=true&q=Auguste Renoir

{
	"total": 66,
	"objectIDs": [
		436965,
		191807,
		722444,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Geolocation Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?geoLocation=France&q=flowers

{
	"total": 3846,
	"objectIDs": [
		206979,
		436175,
		436121,
		// more results ...
	]
}
Date Range Request
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/public/collection/v1/search?dateBegin=1700&dateEnd=1800&q=African

{
	"total": 56,
	"objectIDs": [
		320993,
		188180,
		394199,
		// more results ...
	]
}