Copyright
A significant number of works in the Hood Museum of Art collection are under copyright. Although we may own a particular artwork, the copyright is often retained by the artist or the artist’s estate. The onus of determining whether the particular work is under copyright and identifying and securing permission from all copyright holders rests with the applicant. The Hood Museum of Art assumes no responsibility for any royalties or fees claimed by the artist, or on his or her behalf, or by any other copyright holder. If the work is licensed under a creative commons license the applicant must follow the requirements of that license.
Images of certain works, such as three-dimensional works that were photographed by a non-Hood photographer, or works portraying a celebrity, may require the applicant to secure additional permissions. The responsibility of determining when additional permissions must be secured rests with the applicant, and it is incumbent upon the applicant to obtain all necessary permissions.
The length of copyright protection varies. In general, many of the artworks in our collection are under copyright protection for the life of the artist plus an additional seventy years. Some works are under copyright protection for 95 years from the first publication. Others are under copyright protection for 120 years from creation. Please refer to copyright law.
The Hood Museum of Art owns the artwork and in most instances, the photography of said artwork in its collection. Works known to be in the public domain are marked as such, and the Hood Museum of Art strongly encourages students, faculty and other visitors to use museum images of these objects for educational and personal purposes.
Websites with further information about copyright include: