How can I find a specific painting? Is there a directory of paintings?

You can find individuals paintings in the BillionDollarArtGallery in four ways:

1. Search the BillionDollarArtGallery webapp Guide to Paintings.

2. Access the paintings directory on your TV and scroll through the names of the paintings.

3. Ask your TV to search for a key word in the title of the painting.

4. Print out the 13-page PDF Directory of Paintings attached to this FAQ.

Details for each method are outlined below.

1. Search the Guide to Paintings on your phone.

In your phone’s web browser, go to billiondollarartgallery.com/paintings and choose paintings from the menu on the upper right, or save this web address to your phone’s home page: 

billiondollarartgallery.com/paintings 

In the Search box, enter a visible feature of any painting – for instance, “top hat,"

and you will quickly see all the paintings that include “top hats.”

Scroll through the choices, and tap on any painting. Tapping on a painting will display:

• The name of the painter
• The name of the painting
• The name of the museum (or if it is in private hands)
• The year it was painted
  
  

2. Enter the paintings directory on your TV and scroll through the names of the paintings.

Every TV is different, and TVs older than about 5 years can have primitive or non-existent search tools. However, every TV we have tested can scroll through the list of paintings, which show the titles listing the number of the painting in the collection of 500, the name of the painting, the name of the painter, the year it was painted, and the museum where you can see the painting. 

a) Enter the directory where the painting are stored. On original versions of the BillionDollarArtGallery, all paintings were stored in the main or "root" directory. In late 2023, the BillionDollarArtGallery contained paintings in a directory called "Paintings Art Uncropped", which is distinguished from a directory of paintings that are cropped to fill the full TV screen.

b) Most TV remotes use an up-and-down toggle (often on the round or center button) to scroll up and down. For information about specific TVs, please see our extensive TV support section called "TVs, Remotes & Manuals" or tap this link: https://bdagallery.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/150000119686

The screen below is an LG OLED television. Your TV may display files differently.

3. Ask your TV to search for a key word in the title of the painting.

a) Some but not all televisions can search for content. The search tool is usually a magnifying glass icon like the one in the upper right of the LG OLED screen below. Enter the directory where the paintings reside, and, using the TV's remote control, tap the search icon.

Every TV is different, and TVs older than about 5 years can have primitive or non-existent search tools. For information about specific TVs, please see our extensive TV support section called "TVs, Remotes & Manuals" or tap this link: https://bdagallery.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/150000119686

b) Using your TV's remote, enter a key word and tap the Search button. In the example below, we have entered the word, "Scream."

In the search for "scream" on the LG OLED TV below, the TV has found two versions of the famous painting: The Scream by Edvard Munch (one painting is cropped and the other painting is the full painting) plus the "Scream" movies. In the illustration, the first scream is selected (note the pink border.) Press the OK or Select key on your TV's remote to display the painting. Some TVs also enable you to speak your selection: note the microphone to the left of the search box at the top of the screen.

4. Download and print out the 13-page PDF attached to this FAQ.