For universities and libraries
Dartabase for
Institutions
A single, citable, machine-readable catalogue of artwork metadata from 29 open-access museum collections worldwide. API access, bulk export, and embeddable search: designed to integrate with library discovery systems and support art history research at scale.
What institutional access includes
REST API
Programmatic access to artwork, artist, institution, and exhibition records. Structured JSON responses, paginated, filterable. Designed for integration with EBSCO, WorldCat, and library discovery layers.
Bulk export
Download the full catalogue — or a filtered subset — as CSV or JSON. Suitable for cataloguing workflows, dataset research, and offline reference. Updated weekly.
Embeddable search
A lightweight JavaScript widget for embedding Dartabase search into your institution's website, LibGuide, or course platform. One script tag, no accounts required for end users.
Priority support
Direct contact for data questions, custom coverage requests, and ICIP guidance. Institution-specific data gaps can be flagged for prioritised ingestion.
Data you can trust and cite
Every record is sourced from a named institution's own open-access API or published dataset. Dartabase mirrors what institutions have chosen to publish; we do not infer, fabricate, or supplement metadata beyond what the source provides. Each record links back to its source so provenance is always traceable.
AIC exhibition history is ingested directly from the Art Institute of Chicago's public API. The full list of sources, update schedules, and data licences is documented on the Sources page.
Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is treated as a first-class concern. Works flagged with cultural advisories carry per-record notices; restricted content is suppressed. Our handling follows the Creative Australia Protocols and AIATSIS guidelines. See the About page for the full ICIP policy.
Collection coverage
15,034
artworks from 29 institutions
Citation formats
Chicago · MLA · APA · BibTeX · RIS
One-click copy and download on every record
Zotero integration
Embedded Dublin Core, COinS, and Highwire Press metadata on every artwork page. Import directly into Zotero with one click.
Source institutions
Art Institute of Chicago · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Museum of Modern Art · Tate · Whitney Museum of American Art · National Gallery of Art · Harvard Art Museums · Minneapolis Institute of Art · Walters Art Museum · Cleveland Museum of Art · Städel Museum · Statens Museum for Kunst · QAGOMA · Smithsonian American Art Museum · and more
How institutions use Dartabase
Art history librarians
Add Dartabase to subject LibGuides as a citable, structured alternative to scattered museum websites. Students arrive at correctly-formatted citations without a formatting tutorial.
Course coordinators
Link directly to specific artworks or artist pages from syllabi and reading lists. The stable cite URL (/cite/…) guarantees the link will resolve even if internal IDs change.
Research librarians
Bulk export filtered datasets for bibliometric research, exhibition history analysis, or collection comparison. CSV and JSON formats work directly with R, Python, and Excel.
Get started
Institutional access is available now. Pricing is per institution and scales with size. Most university library subscriptions are $300–$1,200 per year. API key issuance takes one business day. See full pricing →
Free researcher access (no key required) is available for individual academics on the public site indefinitely. Learn more about Dartabase →