Over 700k paintings from the Rijksmuseum online copyright free
> 700k paintings<p>This figure immediately reminded me of a very interesting EconTalk episode[0] on the management of art museums. The premises from the discussion (as I recall):<p>- Art museums have more than 10x the number of pieces in their archives as they do on display. Some of this art will <i>never</i> be seen by the pubic.<p>- When art galleries charge admission, patrons feel the need to "get their money's worth" so they rush to see as much of the exhibits as possible, without taking time to thoroughly enjoy anything.<p>- The purpose of art is to be enjoyed. The above two points make this goal much harder.<p>The conclusions:<p>- Museums should be free admission and funded by selling pieces from the archive (really interesting discussion on how this is taboo for curators)<p>The second-order effects:<p>- Patrons can sit and enjoy a very small section of the museum instead of rushing through, since they can simply come back for more later<p>- More people get to see fine art<p>- Second- and third-tier museums start to gain access to better art, since they can simply buy it instead of waiting for estate donations (which go to larger museums)<p>I think it's worth a listen.<p>[0]: <a href="https://www.econtalk.org/michael-ohare-on-art-museums/" rel="nofollow">https://www.econtalk.org/michael-ohare-on-art-museums/</a>