Contents:

• Find books
• Find background information
• Find articles & essays
• Key scholarly websites
• Museums on the web

Offcampus Access Databases A-Z Research Guides by Subject | by Course Reference Books Online Library Catalog

Wellesley College Library catalog - The catalog lists books, journal titles, videos, and other items in the Wellesley College Libraries. Note that individual journal articles are not listed in the catalog. To find articles about your topic, use the resources below.

WorldCat- Use this database to find books, journals, videos, etc. in other libraries.

This is just a small sample of the Art Library's print reference materials related to art. Use these sources to find out about an artist, the history of art in a given country or region, artistic techniques and materials, schools and movements and terminology in art, and many other background, overview, or contextual facts. Browse the Art Library’s Art Reference collections for additional resources.

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Grove's Dictionary of Art (Art Ref - N31 .D5 1996)
"One of the most significant art reference works ever produced - a monumental..attempt to encompass the field of art history," from prehistory to the present worldwide. The mandate to establish geographical balance makes this work "the most comprehensive coverage of the arts of Asia, Africa, Australasia, and the Americas ever published in one source." Entries include biographical material on artists, dealers, art historians, and other figures in the art world; coverage of the history of art in specific countries, cities, and archeological sites; and detailed entries on art theory, movements, art forms, building types, and art materials and techniques. Articles include bibliographies. Well illustrated.

Encyclopedia of World Art (Art Ref - N31 .E533)
Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists (Clapp Ref - N31 .T4 1985)
McGraw Hill Dictionary of Art (Art Ref - N33 .M23)

A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques (Art Ref - N33.M36)
A general one-volume dictionary with succinct definitions of terms that cover painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and ceramics. Architectural terms are not included. Especially useful for definitions of technical terms, processes, and materials. Includes a classified listing of books for further reference.

The Oxford Dictionary of Art (Art Ref - N33 .O93 2004)
Deals primarily with Western and Western-inspired painting, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing from classical Greece to the present. Treatment of the modern period includes conceptual art, video art, and other fields of artistic activity now associated with the traditional fine arts. Does not include architecture, design, photography, and applied arts. About three-quarters of the articles are biographical, covering artists, patrons, collectors, dealers, administrators, and writers. Other articles cover styles, movements, materials, and techniques. Includes a chronology that fits Western art into a wider historical context, and an index of galleries and museums.

Artspoke: A Guide to Modern Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1848-1944 (Art Library - N6447.A85 1993)
Movements, media, groups, concepts, and events covered in entries averaging about 400 words. No bibliographies. Includes an ArtChart (chronology of movements), timeline, and index.

Artspeak: A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1945 to the Present(Art Library - N6490.A87 1997)
Brief but well-written entries define movements, groups, concepts, media, and techniques. No bibliographies. Includes an ArtChart (chronology of movements), timeline, and index.

A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art (Art Ref - N6490.C53 1998)
Biographical entries on artists and other people in the art world, and on art movements, techniques, media, organizations, and serial exhibitions and publications. No index or bibliographies.

Histories, Handbooks, & Bibliographic Guides

History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography (Art Library - N6490.A713 1998) 2004 edition on order.
Standard, well-respected textbook on the movements and styles of twentieth-century art. Chronologically/thematically arranged chapters begin with prehistory of modern painting, realism and impressionism, post-impressionism, art nouveau, Fauvism, and Expressionism, and end with sixties abstraction, the post-minimal seventies and the pluralistic seventies, the neo-expressionism and neo-abstractionism of the eighties, and post-modernism in architecture.

Arntzen, Etta, and Robert Rainwater. Guide to the Literature of Art History. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980. (Art Ref - Z5931.A67)
Landmark bibliography of reference and basic research resources in the field of art history; a classified listing of bibliographies, directories, periodicals, auction sales material, visual resources, dictionaries and encyclopedias, iconography, historiography, sources and documents, histories and handbooks, and key resources in “the particular arts” i.e. architecture, sculpture, drawings, painting, prints, photography, and the decorative arts. See also Marmor & Ross’ GLAH2, below, which continues but does not supersede GLAH1.

Brigstocke, Hugh, editor. The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. (Art Ref - N33.O923 2001; E-resource also available)
Covers "all cultures speaking a European language" and is "object-oriented" in its approach. Includes biographical articles on artists, writers, and theorists as well as articles on cities (ancient and modern) and their galleries and museums, important works of art, styles and movements, art historical methodology, patronage and collecting, terminology, and aesthetic and scientific issues (including highly-respected articles on color, perspective, and proportion).

Foster, Hal, Rosiland Kraus, and Yves-Alain Bois. Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. (Art Library - N6490.A7186 2004)
A controversial but important book in the field. Arranged as a year-by-year chronology from 1900 to 2003.

Marmor, Max, and Alex Ross. Guide to the Literature of Art History 2. Chicago: American Library Association, 2005. (Art Ref - Z5931.M374 2005)
Continues but does not supersede Arntzen & Rainwater’s GLAH1, above, following the same classified organization of reference and research resources in art history. Includes some electronic databases but does not include websites.

Onians, John, editor. Atlas of World Art. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2004. (Art Library - G1046.E1 O9 2004)
Historical atlas of world art is arranged chronologically, with chapters on hunting/gathering (40,000–5000 BC), agriculture and urbanization (5000–500 BC), war and empire (500 BC–600 AD), religion and the ruler (600–1500), exploitation and display (1500–1800), industry and science (1800–1900), ideas and technology (1900–2000). Within these chapters are sections for the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific. Text and maps trace the development, influences, and transmission of art worldwide throughout human history.

Pierce, James Smith. From ABACUS to ZEUS: A Handbook of Art History. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1987. (Art Ref - N33.P5) 7th edition on order
Intended as an aid for undergraduates or other art history beginners. First chapter includes art and architectural technical and critical terminology, in some cases with quite lengthy entries. Following chapters cover mostly iconographical themes. Chronology includes pronunciation help for difficult names. Sections on: art terms, processes, and principles; gods, heroes, and monsters; Christian subjects, devotional subjects, narrative subjects; saints and their attributes; Christian signs and symbols.

Vaughn, William. Arts of the 19th Century, Volume One: 1780 to 1850. Translated from the French by James Underwood. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998-1999.
Cachin, Francoise. Arts of the 19th Century, Volume Two: 1850 to 1905. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998-1999. (Art Library - N6757.V38 1999 Vol. 1 & 2)
Documents the innovations and discoveries of the turbulent years of the 19th century, and the flowering of the arts (painting, sculpture, graphic arts, decorative arts, and architecture and planning) that resulted. The book is not a social history of art, nor is it merely or only an aesthetic evaluation; it is “an attempt to illustrate and shed light on the variety, profusion, and inexhaustible fecundity” of art from 1780 to 1905. Lavishly illustrated. Includes short biographies of important 19th-century figures (not just artists) and a bibliography.

Biographical Dictionaries & Indexes

Encyclopedia of Artists (Art Ref - N31 .E53 2000)
Index to Artistic Biography (Art Ref - N40 .H38)
International Dictionary of Art and Artists (Art Ref - N40 .I55 1990)
Index of Artists, International-Biographical (Art Ref - N40 .M3)
Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs (Art Ref - N40 .B47 1976)
Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (Art Ref - N40 .A63)
Thieme, U., and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler (Art Ref - N40 .T4)
World Artists, 1950-1980 (Art Ref - N6489 .M37 1984
World Artists, 1980-1990 (Art Ref - N6489 .M37 1991)
Contemporary Artists (Art Ref - N6490 .C6567 2002)
Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers (Art Ref - N6536 .F5 1986)
Biographical Dictionary of Women Artists in Europe and America Since 1850 (Art Ref - N6757 .D86 1989)
Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art (Art Ref - N7358 .B55 1981)
Dictionary of Women Artists (Art Ref - N8354 .D53 1997)

Iconographical Reference Works

A Dictionary of Symbols (Art Ref - GR931 .C4413 1996)
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art (Art Ref - N7560 .H34 1979)
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography : Themes Depicted in Works of Art (Art Ref - N7565 .E53 1998)
Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art (Art Ref - N7740 .H35 1994)
A Dictionary of Pictorial Subjects from Classical Literature : A Guide to Their Identification in Works of Art (Art Ref/Clapp Ref - N7760 .P68 1983)
The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture (Art Ref - N7830 .M87 1996)
Iconography of Christian Art (Art Ref - N7830 .S3513)
Iconography of the Saints series (Art Ref - N8080 .K25)
Passion Iconography in Northern European Art of the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance (Art Ref - N8053 .M37)
Saints in Art (Art Library - ND1430 .G5513 2003)
Medieval Iconography : A Research Guide (Art Ref - Z5933 .F75 1998)

Guides to Reproductions of Works of Art

Index to Reproductions of Paintings by Twentieth-Century Chinese Artists (Art Ref - DS703.4 .M5 76)
Index to Two-Dimensional Art Works (Art Ref - N7525 .K67)
Sculpture Index (Art Ref - NB36 .C55)
World Painting Index (Art Ref - ND45 .H38)
Index to Reproductions of European Paintings (Art Ref - ND45 .M6)
Index to Reproductions of American Paintings (Art Ref - ND205 .S575)
Print Index : A Guide to Reproductions (Art Ref - NE90 .P17 1983)

Guides to Research & Writing in the Discipline of Art

Art Information and the Internet : How to Find It, How to Use It (Art Ref - N59 .J66 1999)
Art Information : Research Methods and Resources (Art Ref - N85 .J64 1990)
Research Guide to the History of Western Art (Art Library - N380 .K56 1982)
Thinking and Writing about Art History (Art Library - N380 .R438 2000)
The Art of Writing about Art (Art Library - N7475 .H83 2002)
A Short Guide to Writing About Art (Art Library - N7476 .B37 2003)
Visual Literacy: Writing About Art (Art Library - N7476 .T83 2002)
Guide to the Literature of Art History (Art Ref - Z5931 .A67)
Guide to Basic Information Sources in the Visual Arts (Art Ref - Z5931 .M88)
Writing the Art History Paper - An online guide from Dartmouth College
Art History Paper Writing Pages - An online guide from Skidmore College
Art History Writing Guide - An online guide from Wesleyan College

Art Historical Theory and Methodology

Barasch, Moshe. Modern Theories of Art, 1: From Winckelman to Baudelaire. New York: New York University Press, 1990.
---. Modern Theories of Art, 2: From Impressionism to Kandinsky. New York: New York University Press, 1998. (Art Library - N70.B2 1990)
Survey of modern theories of art. Thematic arrangement: the early 18th century, the beginnings of the new age, unity and diversity of the visual arts, the symbol, the artist (Volume 1) and impressionism, empathy, discovering the primitive, and abstract art (Volume 2). Bibliographical essays on pages 391-407 (Volume 1) and pages 371-381 (Volume 2).

---. Theories of Art: From Plato to Winckelman New York: New York University Press, 1985. (Art Library N70.B22 1985)
Introductory survey of the major stages in the development of European art theory, through the early 18th century. Sections on antiquity, the Middle Ages, the early Renaissance, the late Renaissance, and Classicism and the Academy.

Hatt, Michael, and Charlotte Klonk. Art History: A Critical Introduction to its Methods. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006. (Art Library - N7480.H38 2006)
Introductory text to methodological debates in the field of art history. Offers "a lucid account of approaches from Hegel to post-colonialism" and "provides a sense of art history's own history as a discipline, from its emergence in the late-eighteenth century to contemporary debates."

Minor, Vernon Hyde. Art History's History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2001. (Art Library - N380.M556 1994; 2001 edition on order)
Three main sections trace the development of art history as a discipline, from ancient theories of art (Plato and Aristotle) through medieval and Renaissance theory, nature and the ideal in 17th century theory, and the emergence of method and modernism in art history from Winckelmann to late-twentieth-century intertextuality (taking in among other things Marxism, feminism, deconstruction, psychoanalysis, and "the other" along the way).

Nelson, Robert S., and Richard Schiff, editors. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. (Art Library - N34 .C75 2003)
The best handbook of its kind, with lengthy essays (each with a substantial bibliography) on such terms/concepts as representation, sign, word and image, narrative, meaning and interpretation, avant-garde, body, gaze, gender, ritual, identity, postmodernism and postcolonialism, and visual culture/visual studies.

Pointon, Marcia R. History of Art: A Student's Handbook. London: Routledge, 1997. (Art Library - N380 .P56 1997)
A short, intelligent, witty book that guides students through engaging with art, art history as a discipline, how art historians work, the language of art history, and the literature of art history; a combination of "intellectual map and compendium of practical hints."

Preziosi, Donald, editor. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. (Art Library - N380.A78 1998)
"The meatiest of the art history anthologies," with selected readings on the art-historiography of art as history, aesthetics, style, history as an art, iconography and semiology, modernity, gendering, deconstruction and the limits of interpretation, and "the other: art history and/as museology." Each section has a substantial critical introduction, and each essay has bibliographic notes.

Smith, Paul, and Carolyn Wilde. A Companion to Art Theory. London: Blackwell, 2002. (Art Library - N7475.C59 2002)
Essays by eminent scholars on theories of Western art, beginning with the roots of modern art theory in Renaissance Italy and extending, roughly chronologically, to 20th-century theoretical themes. Includes section on tradition and the academy, modernism, critical theory and postmodernism, and interpretive theory. Does not cover visual culture, feminist theory, and film and photographic theory.

Guides to Art Schools, Museums, Galleries, & Other Organizations

Art in America. Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, Artists (Art Period'l - N1 .A43)
American Art Directory (Art Ref - N50 .A54)
International Directory of Arts (Art Ref - N50 .I6)
Directory of M.A. & Ph.D. Programs in Art, Art History and Related Areas (Art Ref - N328 .D567 1999)
Directory of MFA Programs in the Visual Arts (Art Ref - N328 .D57 1999)

Museums

Art museums publish catalogs, which often have in-depth descriptions of art objects in their collections. Museum catalogs are mainly shelved in the Reference section of the Art Library organized by museum. Also included are guides and handbooks which are simpler overviews of the collections.

To find museum catalogs, search in the online library catalog under the museum name and the sub-heading catalogs. Or simply do a keyword search using as many terms as you know (i.e.: museum fine arts boston photography).

Art Full Text Indexing: 1984+; abstracting: 1994+; full-text of selected articles: 1997+

Indexes and abstracts major English-language art periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish. Provides access to a wide range of bibliographies, notices of competitions and awards, reports of conferences, exhibition listings, review articles, interviews, and film reviews. Continued database from Art Index Retrospective, below. Abstracts since 1994. Some full-text articles since 1997. Reproductions indexed. Shows Wellesley holdings.

Art Index Retrospective 1929-1984

Bibliographic database that cumulates citations to Art Index volumes 1-32 of the printed index published between 1929-1984. The database cites articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch. In addition to articles, Art Index Retrospective indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals. Database continues as Art Full Text, above.

Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) 1973+

Covers the art and architecture of Europe and the Americas (4th century to modern) cited from art-related books, conference proceedings, dissertations, exhibitions and dealers' catalogs, and journal articles. The BHA includes and extends the coverage of its two predecessor art indexes: RAA (Repertoire d'Art et d'Archeologie) from 1973 to 1989 and RILA (International Repertory of the Literature of Art) from 1975 to 1989. Contains abstracts.

ARTbibliographies Modern1974+

ABM provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art dating from the late 19th century onwards, and including photography since its invention. It includes abstracts of English and foreign-language material on famous and lesser-known artists, movements, and trends. The coverage of ABM is wide-ranging and includes performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artists' books, theatre arts, conservation, crafts, ceramic and glass art, ethnic arts, graphic and museum design, fashion, and calligraphy, as well as traditional media including illustration, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.

Academic Search Complete - dates vary

The world's largest scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database. Dates of coverage vary by title.

AH Search: Arts & Humanities 1980+

Online equivalent of the Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Contains bibliographic citations of articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, and reviews from over 1,300 journals. Also provides the ability to search by cited author. Shows Wellesley holdings.

JSTOR. -coverage varies

Use this to find articles in selected scholarly literature journals (i.e. Art Bulletin, Art Journal, Burlington Magazine, Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, American Art) written prior to about the last five years. JSTOR is an archive of back issues of selected journals containing full-text humanities, social sciences, and natural science journals. The years will vary from the first issues of the listed journal titles but will most likely NOT have any from the latest 5 years.

Periodicals Index Online (formerly Periodicals Contents Index) 1665-1995, coverage varies

Index to articles published in 4,698 periodicals in the humanities & social sciences in 40 languages. Indexing goes back to the first issue of the journal, some titles go back over 200 years. A number of the major art and architecture journals (i.e. Apollo, Art Bulletin, Art Quarterly, Gazette des Beaux Arts) are included in this database. Includes the complete table of contents for each issue of each journal.

Oxford Art Online

Through Oxford Art Online, you are now able to cross search and browse a suite of valuable art reference publications simultaneously with Grove Art Online: The Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics,and Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Oxford Art Online also enhances your capacity to search through a behind-the-scenes thesaurus, a sophisticated fielded bibliography search, as well as an improved advanced search function.

Grove Art Online

Articles on fine, decorative & ethnic arts, architecture, and more, with searchable text.

ARTstor

A digital web resource that contains about 1 million images of world art, architecture, design, photographs, and other forms of visual culture. Images are drawn from sources such as museums, archaeological teams, photo archives, slide collections, and art reference publishers.

Digital Images Collections Wiki

created by Wellesley College's Visual Resources Dept.

Iter : Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance1859+

Contains citations to articles on art and architecture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700 A.D.) from hundreds of scholarly journals.

Other databases may be useful for you, depending on your specific topic and approach. Please visit the Databases A-Z list of databases or visit AskUs and get some customized suggestions.

Print Sources

Art Index v.1 (1929/1932)- present (Art Ref - Z5937 .A78)
ArtBibliographies Modern v.2 (1970) - v. 33, no. 2 (2002) (Art Ref - Z5935 .L64)
Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) v.1 (1991)-v.9 (1999) (Art Ref - Z5937 .B53)
Index to Nineteenth Century American Art Periodicals (Art Ref - Z5937 .S35 1999)
International Repertory of the Literature of Art (RILA) v.1 (1975)-v.15:no.2 (1989)
(Art Ref - Z5937 .R16)

The Art Source (University of Kentucky)
A gathering point for networked resources in Art and Architecture. Quite well selected and organized.

Art History Resources (Sweet Briar College, VA)
Part One is a timeline of art history with links to Web sites. Part Two is organized into sections on museums, visual resources, lsits of artists, online databases and more.

Artcyclopedia
Text about and images by over 7500 artists

Mother of All Art History Link Pages (University of Michigan)
An excellent student guide to the Web with many academic, institutional, and resource links.

Art and Architecture Thesaurus Browser (Getty Research Institute)
The AAT is a structured vocabulary containing around 125,000 terms and other information about concepts. Terms in AAT may be used to describe art, architecture, decorative arts, material culture, and archival materials. The coverage of the AAT ranges from Antiquity to the present, and the scope is global.

ArtLex Art Dictionary
Definitions for over 3100 terms used in visual art, along with images and pronunciation notes.

Union List of Artists' Names (Getty Research Institute)
Authority file of over 200,000 artists' names developed by a variety of bibliographic authorities.

Worldwide Books : Exhibition Catalogues and Other Books on Art
Records for more than 46,000 exhibition and collection catalogues are presented in the database, including virtually all of the titles that have been made available over the years through Worldwide's library program. These titles include a great majority of the most significant catalogues published over the past three decades by European and North American institutions, along with a vast array of other noteworthy titles

Boston Public Library Fine Arts Department
The Fine Arts Collection in the BPL is a non-circulating research resource of more than 125,000 titles (not including bound periodicals, multiple-volume works and unbound catalogs). The Fine Arts Department is also responsible for servicing special collections that document art, architecture and the decorative arts with special focus on Boston and New England. See Also: Subject Databases for access to BPL's electronic resources. Information about how to obtain a library card is here.

Provenance Research (Getty Research Institute - Getty Provenance Index)
The Getty Provenance Index Databases, part of the Project for the Study of Collecting and Provenance (PSCP), are compiled with the collaborative participation of institutions and individuals in Europe and the United States. The databases contain indexed transcriptions of material from auction catalogs and archival inventories of western European works of art, and contain nearly 1,000,000 records that cover the period from the late 16th century to the early 20th century. The databases are available free of charge via the Web.

Smithsonian Archives of American Art
Since 1954, the Archives has collected roughly 16 million letters, photographs, diaries, oral history interviews, sketches, scrapbooks, business records, and other documents that support the study of the history of the visual arts in America.

Bibliography of Contemporary Chinese Art Including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Diaspora
General bibliography of contemporary Chinese art as well as individual bibliographies for more than 1500 artists. Compiled by the Stanford University Department of Art and Art History.

Art Museum Network
Links to an extensive number of art museum websites in the U.S. and Canada. All the major museums are included. Sponsored by the association of Art Museum Directors.

ARTFORUM's Museum Finder is a database of contemporary art museums in 33 countries. It is searchable by name, city, and country, providing quick access to museum addresses, phone numbers, hours, and websites.

Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston's own museum's Web site which includes exhibit schedules, hours, history, online exhibits, and museum shop.

Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Exhibit schedules for the three Harvard art museums; the Fogg, Sackler and Busch-Reisinger. Extensive description but few images. Also general information and special events like lectures, concerts and gallery talks.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
One of the major art museums of the world. Includes exhibits, calendar, membership, and more.

Museum of Modern Art, New York

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Of particular note is their treatment of In-Depth Studies of Artists and Works of Art in their online tours section.

Wellesley College Library • WCIS • Brooke Henderson • last modified: February 5, 2009