Random artwork generator
Random objects from The Met's open collection. Search a subject if you want, or just draw.
Output · 0 artworks
Live APINo matching results. Try fewer filters.
- Source
- The Met
- Pick
- 1–8
Related tools
This random artwork generator pulls objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's public Collection API. Each card shows the image, title, artist, date, the Met department it sits in and the medium, and the title links straight to that object's page on metmuseum.org. Type a subject like horse or teapot to narrow things down, or leave the search empty for a broad mix.
What I like is that it hands you things you'd never click on yourself. On the Met's own site you tend to head for paintings you already know. Here you might get a print, a bit of armor or a carved box nobody signed. Use it for a sketchbook prompt, a class warm-up, or five minutes of actually looking at something. The card is brief on purpose, so open the Met page for curator notes, rights details and a larger image.
How to use the random artwork generator
- Use the How many slider to draw anywhere from one to eight artworks.
- Type a subject in Search, like landscape or cat, or leave it blank.
- Public-domain images only is ticked by default. Untick it to include works still under copyright.
- Click Generate, then click a title to open that object on the Met's website.
What each result shows
Title, artist, date, department and medium, plus a Public domain badge when the work is cleared for free use. Lots of older objects have no recorded maker, so Unknown artist comes up more often than you'd expect. Your search term goes to the Met's own search, so the museum decides what counts as a match.
Why some results lack an image
With the public-domain box ticked you'll almost always get a picture. Untick it and works still under copyright start appearing, and the Met often doesn't share image files for those, so the card can come back as text only. The linked Met page shows whatever the museum publishes.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the artworks come from?
From The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, through its free Collection API. Every result links back to the object's record on metmuseum.org.
Can I search a theme?
Yes. Whatever you type is sent to the Met's search, and the draw comes from the objects it returns. A very narrow term can come back empty, so try something looser if that happens.
Are the images free to use?
Works with the Public domain badge are, under the Met's Open Access program. For anything else, check the rights note on the object's Met page before reusing it.
Built and maintained by Bipul Kumar. Found a wrong number or a broken result? Tell me and I'll fix it.