# Museum MCP Server

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MCP Server for global museum collections — give AI agents access to **570,000+ artworks** from the world's greatest museums. No API key required.

## Museums Included

| Museum | Collection Size | API Key |
|--------|----------------|---------|
| Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) | 470,000+ objects | None required |
| Art Institute of Chicago | 100,000+ objects | None required |

## Tools (9 total)

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `tool_search_artworks` | Search artworks by keyword in Met or Chicago |
| `tool_get_artwork_details` | Full metadata for a specific artwork |
| `tool_search_by_artist` | Find all works by a specific artist |
| `tool_get_met_departments` | List all Met Museum departments |
| `tool_search_by_department` | Search within a specific Met department |
| `tool_get_museum_highlights` | Curated highlights from either museum |
| `tool_get_random_artwork` | Discover a random artwork |
| `tool_search_by_period` | Search by historical period (Renaissance, Baroque, etc.) |
| `tool_compare_museums` | Compare results across both museums simultaneously |

## Installation

```bash
pip install museum-mcp-server
```

## Usage with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (`claude_desktop_config.json`):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "museum": {
      "command": "museum-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}
```

## Example Queries

```
"Search for Monet paintings in both museums"
"Show me highlights from the Metropolitan Museum of Art"
"Find Renaissance artworks in the Art Institute of Chicago"
"Give me details about artwork 436535 from the Met"
"Show me a random artwork from Chicago"
"Compare results for 'ancient Egypt' across both museums"
```

## Data Sources

- **Metropolitan Museum of Art**: [metmuseum.github.io](https://metmuseum.github.io/) — Open Access API, 470,000+ objects spanning 5,000 years
- **Art Institute of Chicago**: [api.artic.edu](https://api.artic.edu/docs/) — Free API, 100,000+ works including paintings, sculptures, prints

## No API Key Required

Both APIs are completely free and require no authentication. This server works out of the box.

## License

MIT — Free to use, modify, and distribute.

## Author

[AiAgentKarl](https://github.com/AiAgentKarl) — Building the AI Agent Economy, one MCP server at a time.