I previously posted on the desire to bring home visuals from a museum (The Prado) that did not allow cameras (see Copying Art).
The next day we visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which did allow cameras in the galleries. Here are the images from that visit.
The question then is, do these images have any value, other than saving the cost of a post card?
And why, generally aren’t cameras allowed in museums? The usual reasons cited are:
- the possibility of a flash damaging the work;
- copyright infringement.
I seldom use a flash, and certainly did not use a flash for these images.
But copyright infringement can be a real issue. I am well aware that any of my images on this site are vulnerable to being downloaded and used in a myriad of ways. In fact I encourage people to post my images in their social media streams (just click one of the social media buttons on this page).
But there was a case recently of someone downloading other people’s images from Instagram, and selling them for a great deal of money (see, for example, these articles on CNN and Fortune).
I am more curious,though, about why I wanted to take these pictures, then I am about why museums normally do not allow cameras.
But please don’t sell my images.
