Harvard Art Museums

Harvard Art Museums MCP Connector for Claude

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Explore the Harvard Art Museums' vast collection — search over 250,000 objects, research artists, and browse exhibitions directly via AI.

35 tools Official Updated Jun 28, 2026 Official Vinkius Partner

Connect to the Harvard Art Museums API and turn your AI agent into a sophisticated art historian. Access one of the world's most comprehensive university art collections through natural conversation.

What you can do

  • Object Discovery — Search the entire collection using filters like classification, century, culture, color, or specific years.
  • Artist & People Research — List and retrieve detailed profiles of artists, donors, and other figures associated with the works.
  • Exhibition Tracking — Browse past, current, and upcoming exhibitions to stay informed about museum programming.
  • Gallery Exploration — List physical spaces within the museum building, filtered by floor, to understand where works are displayed.
  • Publication Access — Query publications that contain images or scholarly information about the museum's artworks.
  • Media Metadata — Access detailed metadata for images produced by the museums for research and documentation.

How it works

  1. Subscribe to this server
  2. Enter your Harvard Art Museums API Key
  3. Start exploring art history from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client

Who is this for?

  • Researchers & Students — Quickly find primary sources, object metadata, and artist biographies for academic work.
  • Art Enthusiasts — Explore the collection by color, culture, or period to discover new favorite pieces.
  • Curators & Educators — Access exhibition histories and gallery layouts to plan educational content or tours.
art-historymuseum-collectioncultural-dataresearchmetadataapi-integration

35 tools expose this connector's capabilities to your AI agent.

get_annotation

Get specific annotation details

get_audio

Get specific audio details

get_exhibition

Get specific exhibition details

get_gallery

Get specific gallery details

get_iiif_gallery_manifest

Get the IIIF presentation manifest for a gallery

get_iiif_object_manifest

Get the IIIF presentation manifest for an object

get_iiif_top_collection

Get the top level IIIF collection manifest

get_image

Get specific image details

get_object

Get full record for a specific object

get_person

Get specific person details

get_publication

Get specific publication details

get_video

Get specific video details

list_activities

List object-specific activities (pageviews, edits, moves)

list_annotations

List machine-generated and manual annotations on images

list_audios

List audio clips (visual descriptions, etc.)

list_centuries

List centuries used for dating objects

list_classifications

List curatorial categories (Prints, Sculpture, etc.)

list_colors

List CSS3 and extracted color terms

list_cultures

List cultural associations (Dutch, Greek, etc.)

list_exhibitions

List past, current, and upcoming exhibitions

list_galleries

List physical spaces within the museum building

list_groups

List curated groupings (Collection Highlights, etc.)

list_images

List metadata for images produced by the museums

list_mediums

List materials used (Watercolor, Resin, etc.)

list_objects

List objects in the Harvard Art Museums collection

list_people

List people associated with works (artists, donors, etc.)

list_periods

List art movements and time periods

list_places

List geographic locations

list_publications

List publications containing images or info about artworks

list_sites

List physical museum sites and facilities

list_spectrums

List colors in the museum branding spectrum

list_supports

List surfaces used (Wood, Slate, etc.)

list_techniques

List production processes (Red-figure, Etching, etc.)

list_videos

List videos produced by or associated with the museums

list_worktypes

List specific object types (fragment, vessel, etc.)

See how to talk to your AI agent using Harvard Art Museums.

Search for 19th-century French paintings in the Harvard Art Museums collection.

I've found several 19th-century French paintings. Notable works include 'The Rehearsal' by Edgar Degas (ID: 299842) and 'The Gare Saint-Lazare' by Claude Monet. Would you like the full details for any of these?

List all current exhibitions and their venues.

There are currently 4 active exhibitions. Highlights include 'Objects of Addiction' at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum and 'American Watercolors' at the Fogg Museum. Which one would you like to explore further?

Get the full record for object ID 303935.

Fetching record 303935... This is 'Self-Portrait' by Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas, dated 1887. It is currently located in Gallery 2400. It features a vibrant palette of blues and yellows with characteristic brushwork.

You can use the `list_objects` tool and apply filters like `culture` (e.g., 'Japanese') or `century` (e.g., '19th century'). You can also use `yearmade` for more precise dating.

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