The art images world can be pretty murky as a muddy water!
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The other day, my wife ordered a printer to do a large bedroom wallpaper from the image of Van Gogh’s ‘Almond Blossoms’. He painted this beauty back in the 1890.
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The image of the painting may be copyright free. But your wallet does shrink. 
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The business of digital downloads of images are dominated by two global giant platforms – Getty Images and Shutterstock. Some stuffs are free but the platforms are out to attract your purses. This can range from resolution sizes to limited download subscriptions, monetized promotions, etc. 
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We have to admit that they find ways to make money (a lot of it) amid billions of freely flow images across the digital world. 
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So, it is a welcome news that Getty Museum, the philanthropy and education part among the Getty institutions, is making available 88,000 historical images for free use under a Creative Common Zero (CCO) license. CCO allows for unrestricted download of low to high resolutions, editing and repurposing without limitations.
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The new Getty Museum service can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.getty.edu/news/download-edit-print-your-favorite-getty-artwork-for-free/" target="_blank">https://www.getty.edu/news/download-edit-print-your-favorite-getty-artwork-for-free/</a>
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So, you can now add a print of your favorite Dutch still life to your gallery wall or create a bedroom wallpaper using the Irises by Van Gogh at no costs. The DIY possibilities are very welcomed.
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Confused between Getty Museum’s download services and Getty Images? Of course, you must be. It’s a murky world of tech business ‘disruption’ which Getty institutions want to be in the driver’s seat.
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The strategy is just as enigmatic as the life of J. Paul Getty, whose oil fortune allowed him to become the biggest collector of the arts during his lifetime.  
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Despite his frugal reputation, his exposure to the collection of 18th-century French paintings and furniture owned by Amy Guest, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill, inspired him to start collecting art himself. 
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Getty got the bargain on 18th-century French art with the depressed art market at the time. He amassed a significant art collection valued at over $4 million at the time of his death, including works by renowned artists like Rubens, Titian, and Monet.
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He established the J. Paul Getty Museum Trust in 1953 and eventually founding the J. Paul Getty Museum to make art available for public education and enjoyment.
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His legacy as an art collector and philanthropist continues to influence the art world through the institutions he set up. As we witnessed even up to last month’s Getty Museum’s Open Content free download initiative, and of course, the success of Getty Images.
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And it’s not all Getty, there are other platforms offering free downloads under CCO as well, such as like Unsplash and FreePD.com.
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So next time, you look for an image for a wallpaper – think Getty Museum and Getty Images. Muddy water, indeed!