Data use.

Last updated 23 May 2026

This page describes how Largesso uses the data we receive from the institutions feeding Gesso. It is a sibling of our privacy policy (which covers how we handle the people using Gesso) and our institutional policy (which covers how we work with the institutions feeding us). Every claim on this page is enforced live at largesso.com/sources.

Image hosting

Per source, we record one of four states: mirrored, hot-linked, metadata only, or unreviewed. Mirrored means we cache a low-resolution preview (no greater than 2 megapixels) so Gesso loads quickly on mobile networks. Hot-linked means we embed the image directly from the source CDN with no caching on our side. Metadata only means we surface the work as a text-and-credit tile without any image. The state per source appears at largesso.com/sources.

Vector embeddings

Gesso’s recommendation engine works by computing a vector embedding of each artwork — a numeric representation of its visual signature — and matching that against your taste vector. We compute embeddings once, at ingest time. We do not redistribute the embeddings, and we do not use the underlying images to train any generative model.

Attribution

Every artwork in Gesso displays a credit line that points back to the source institution. The credit defaults to the institution’s name and changes to a mandated format (e.g. “Courtesy of X and the artist”) when the institution specifies one. The institution sets this on the audit page; the app renders it verbatim.

Operator validation

License decisions on the audit page are operator-validated. A row only appears at largesso.com/sources after a Largesso operator has manually opened the source’s published policy, verified the basis, attribution, and evidence URL, and clicked “Mark validated” in our internal tooling. Until that check is done, the source is invisible on the public page.

Takedown

One email to support from the institution removes the source from Gesso the same day. We do not require a legal letter or a justification. The audit page reflects the change immediately.

Questions

Any other question about how we use what you send us: support.