Make an Appointment
The public are welcome to make an appointment to use the library and its image collections, the print study room, the photograph study room, curatorial records, and Gallery Archives. In some cases you may need to make an appointment at least two weeks in advance.
Please use the links below to contact Gallery research staff in advance of your appointment.
Library
The library’s collection of more than 400,000 volumes of art history, theory, architecture, and criticism focuses on Western art since the Middle Ages. The rare books collection is an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers.
Image Collections
The library's department of image collections is a study and research center for images of Western art and architecture and is one of the largest of its kind, numbering almost 14 million photographs, slides, negatives, microforms, and digital images.
Print Study Room
Study prints, drawings, and illustrated books from a collection of almost 100,000 works on paper, dating from the 12th century to the present. Consult curatorial files for drawings only.
Photograph Study Room
Study the Gallery’s photography collection, which includes 12,000 works spanning the history of the medium. Consult curatorial files for photographs.
Curatorial Records
Consult the files of any painting, sculpture, or work of decorative art in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Files include official documents, provenance information, correspondence, and other materials.
Gallery Archives
The Gallery Archives is the primary historical resource for the past events at the Gallery and for the design and construction of the Gallery buildings.