MoMA Online

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA) has announced that nearly 400,000 artworks in its collection are available for free download. I tested its collection website and downloaded Balthus' Thérèse Dreaming (1938). The model was pubescent Thérèse Blanchard, whose family were neighbours of Balthus in Paris. The website is impressive, fast and efficient and didn't complain that I'm using an out-of-date browser. (I hate such complaints.) There are numerous ways to search the database: by artist, maker, culture, methods, materials, locations, date, era, departments (CLICK). It also tells you whether the target artwork is currently on display or not, useful for locals. This is an excellent resource. CLICK for a larger image of Thérèse Dreaming.