Artnap

npx add-mcp 'https://artnap.com/mcp'

Artnap for AI assistants

Artnap runs a read-only MCP server, so assistants like Claude and ChatGPT can search the archive while they answer you. It finds public domain paintings, drawings, prints and posters from museum open access collections and returns each work with its license and a link to the museum's own record.

Server address: https://artnap.com/mcp

It uses Streamable HTTP and needs no account or key. In Claude, add it as a custom connector with this address. In other clients, add it as a remote MCP server.

Tools

• search_artworks: search by words, artist, museum or color. It returns up to 20 works at a time.
• get_artwork: one work by its Artnap id, with the holding museum's record.
• list_artists: artists whose name matches the words you give.
• list_museums: the museums and libraries on Artnap, with the number of works from each.
• get_license_summary: the license line for one work and where to check it.

Each answer is one line of plain text and a short JSON block. Images are the 2,500 px copies on img.artnap.com, the same copies the artwork pages show.

For a plain-text guide to the whole site, written for assistants, see llms.txt.

To work with the list itself, the open data page has a CSV of about 310,000 public domain works.

Limits

Each IP address can make 5 requests a second. If you go over, the server answers 429 and says when to try again. The tools only read; nothing can be changed or deleted through them.

Privacy

The server keeps a log of which tool was called and how long it took, for 30 days. It does not keep your questions or your IP address in readable form. See the privacy page for the rest.

Questions: curator@artnap.com