In general, the AFA will allow access and use of images of artwork from our collection for educational purposes. However, the AFA acts in accordance with Canadian Copyright Law and images required for commercial purposes may be subject to royalties and fees paid to the copyright holder.
Digital image database
The AFA creates and maintains digital image files, and maintain existing slide scan files, of our collected artworks. We publish artwork images online for educational use.
Browse digital images of nearly every artwork in our possession through the AFA Virtual Museum.
Copyright and contact information
We negotiate agreement with artists, or with their agents or artwork copyright holders, to create a digital image of the artwork for sharing online. We also negotiate agreements to use artwork imagery for AFA promotional purposes, such as to promote the collection as a whole.
Royalties and fees to use artwork imagery for commercial purposes not related to the AFA must be negotiated by the artist, or their agent, and the third party. Commercial access to images, such as for book covers, must be arranged through the artist or their designated copyright agent.
Get help contacting an artist
Our staff can help put you in touch with an appropriate contact to discuss image reproduction rights.
Retrieving appropriate contact information can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks or months. Please allow enough time for staff to retrieve copyright holder contact information and process digital images.
