Copyright
Reproductions

Neil Dawson, Diamonds, 2002, Commissioned 2002. Purchased with the assistance of ActewAGL 2002 © Neil Dawson
Key information
The Rights and Permissions department at the National Gallery provides access and licenses to a range of image reproductions of works of art in the national collection.
We welcome the opportunity to support a variety of private and commercial projects, with paramount regard to supporting the moral and economic rights of artists and creatives in accordance with the Australian Copyright Act (1968).
You do not need to seek permission to use a reproduction of a work of art if it is in the public domain, used for private research or study, or any other exceptions defined as ‘Fair Dealing’ under Section 40 of the Australian Copyright Act. All other usages will require written approval from the Gallery and the Rightsholder or their agent to avoid an infringement and potential legal redress.
Visit the Australian Copyright Council or the World Intellectual Property Organization to learn more about Fair Dealing usages, the Australian Copyright Act (1968) or Intellectual Property law.
Please call +61 2 6120 2901 or email copyright@nga.gov.au if you have any questions.
Image Requests
Request an image
High resolution files can be requested using the Image Request Form below.
Please read the following information before proceeding with your order:
- Permission will only be granted for the usages stated on your Request Form. Any images supplied to an Individual for the purposes of Private Research and Study cannot be repurposed for any other usage without seeking further permission from the National Gallery and the Rightsholder. Any alterations or amendments to the original request will need to be resubmitted for review.
- All quotes for usage and permissions granted will be in accordance with the usages stated on your Request Form. To supply an incomplete or incorrect Request Form, or to repurpose the reproduction file supplied for the original request without further permission from the National Gallery and the Rightsholder would be a breach of the Australian Copyright Act (1968).
- All fees stipulated by the Gallery for the supply and use of images must be paid in full before digital assets will be dispatched to you.
- To respect the integrity of the work of art, the moral rights of the artist and to ensure the highest quality reproductions of works of art in the national collection, permission will only be granted for usage of images provided by the National Gallery.
- The National Gallery does not authorise any usage that will infringe the intellectual property or moral rights of the artist, and will refuse permission for any usages that are deemed inappropriate or unacceptable in order to maintain the integrity of the work of art and the original intent of the artist.
- Where the Applicant seeks to reproduce copyrighted works, the Gallery will contact the rightsholder on their behalf in accordance with the Federal Privacy Act. Thereafter it is the applicants responsibility to obtain written permission from the copyright holder and to provide a copy of such permission to the Gallery. The Applicant is responsible for any fees that the copyright holder may impose, separate and distinct from any Image Supply Fees charged by the Gallery.
- Images are not to be cropped, overprinted or altered in any way without prior written approval from the Gallery. Requests for such alterations, or for the use of images on book covers and commercial merchandise will only be considered in receipt of a realistic mock-up for National Gallery and Rightsholder approval.
- Each reproduction of an image must be accompanied by a caption as sourced from the Gallery’s Search the Collection record or as stated on the supplied Licence for Use. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to acknowledge artistic works in accordance with the Moral Rights instructions as featured within the Australian Copyright Act 1968.
- Reproduction rights granted by the Gallery are non-exclusive, for a one-time use only and must not be assigned, transferred or sub-let to any other party. All digital assets are to be deleted once the project is complete.
- All reproductions supplied by the Gallery are accompanied by detailed terms and conditions, and therefore the National Gallery will not be held liable for any infringements caused by third-party usage found to be in breach of these terms.
- One complimentary copy of the publication or product must be sent to the Rights and Permissions department of the National Gallery upon publishing/production at the following address: National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600
Please allow time within your schedule for your request to be processed by the Gallery.
Current turnaround times require up to 10 business days to receive a reply from the Rights and Permissions department, and a further 10 – 12 weeks if your requested work/s of art need to be digitised, dependant on a number of factors including number of works required, location of works and capacity within our Imaging and Conservation teams.
Response times are subject to change, depending on volume and internal workflow requirements.
We thank you for your patience.
Can I take photos inside the Gallery?
The Gallery permits non-professional, non-flash based photography of exhibition spaces including the Sculpture Garden, in good faith that such images will be used by the visitor in accordance with ‘Fair Dealing’ clauses listed under the Australian Copyright Act. Acceptable purposes of personal photography include personal review, private research and study, and for the criticism and review of a specific work or work/s. Any other usage requires the approval of the Rights and Permissions department, as well as the artist or their representative if the work is still protected by Australian Copyright law.
Please note that if the work of art is on loan to the Gallery, or if we have received special instruction from the artist or their representative, there may be additional conditions in place. Signage next to a work of art will indicate if no photography is permitted.
After your visit, if you choose to communicate images of works of art to the public (via your personal social media pages, or in printed collateral for example) please note that this is at your own risk, and the Gallery will not be held responsible for any potential infringement by third-parties.
If the Gallery, artist or their representative is concerned that an infringement of the artists moral or economic rights has occurred, a take-down notice may be issued to the responsible party, and the artist or their representative may wish to issue a fine or invoice for any associated reproduction fees specific to the usage.
Questions? Please call +61 2 6120 2901 or email copyright@nga.gov.au.
For more information about taking photos in the Gallery, see Conditions of Entry.
Can I take photos of the James Turrell Skyspace, Within without?
Artists have the right to protect their works under the Australian Copyright Act, and some artists provide specific guidance on how they would prefer their works of art to be enjoyed and shared with the public.
James Turrell has asked that only pre-approved images of the Skyspace are used to represent and communicate this work to the public. In accordance with his request, we recommend that no private photography is shared on public platforms including social media or printed collateral. All commercial photography must be approved by the artist or his representative in advance.
I’m an artist with work in the national collection, can I access images of my works of art for Archival Use?
Yes, please submit your request via the Image Request Form. The Gallery is generally able to provide images to artists or their representatives of their works in the national collection, for their own personal communication to the public. Please note that as with standard requests, these usages are often for a ‘one time’ project, and files must be deleted once the project is complete as these files may not be shared with third-parties.
The National Gallery requires that in every instance, requests for third-party usage of any images previously supplied by the Gallery to artists or their representatives are redirected to the Rights and Permissions department for processing.
I would like to place a request for on-site photography and/or filming for commercial or media usage, who can I speak to?
Please see our Filming and photography page or contact the Communications department on +61 2 6240 6431 or media@nga.gov.au
International image requests
The Gallery works with Bridgeman Images to provide a range of selected images for overseas publishers and clients. Please contact Bridgeman Images for all international image requests.
Fees and Conditions
The total fee per image reproduction includes Image Supply plus Usage Fee.
General Requests | $150 AUD |
Archival & Private Use * (screen resolution files only - 2000px) | No fee |
Publications (including e-book & promotional use) | |
Book internal | $80 AUD |
Book cover | $250 AUD |
Other | |
Non-Commercial Use ** | $150 AUD |
Exhibition Didactics & Broadcast | $250 AUD |
Merchandise *** | 10% RRP x Print Run or Unit |
All domestic use + GST; all international use no GST, + $25 AUD processing fee.
* All Archival or Private Usages that are subsequently published will become General Requests at that point, and fees will need to be determined accordingly.
** Non-commercial use applies to projects that are not directly engaged in revenue-raising.
*** All Commercial Uses including Merchandise are considered on a case-by-case basis and require review and approval by the Gallery’s Curatorial and Rights and Permissions team.