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Art history

Liaison Librarian

Office Hours

   By appointment

   (May-August)

Course guides for Art History

 

Sources for Background Information

 

Guides and Handbooks

  • Art History: The Key Concepts
    Entries on over 200 terms integral to the study of art history and visual culture; each entry contains a definition as well as an examination of its history, use, and significance, with suggestions for further reading.
    N5300 H278 2006 (Ref)
  • Art History - Stokstad
    A two volume comprehensive synopsis of the history of art. Coverage begins with prehistory and prehistoric art in Europe and ends with the international avant-garde since 1945.
    N5300 S924 2005 (Ref)
  • Art in History - Silver
    A survey of the history of art, provides elaborate discussions of the artists mentioned in the text. Supplement use of this volume with Stokstad's two volume set mentioned above.
    N5300 S48 1993 (Ref)
  • History of Art - Janson
    Divided into four parts covering the Ancient World, Middle Ages, Renaissance to Rococo, and the Modern World. Deals with subjects such as the evolution of style, iconography, feminism, multiculturalism, semiotics, and deconstruction.
    N5300 J3 2007(Ref)

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

  • 30,000 Years of Art
    folio N5300 A14 2007 (Ref)
  • L'Arte (2002)
    folio N31 A77 (Ref)
  • Artlex: Dictionary of Visual Art online
  • Critical Terms for Art History
  • The Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus online
  • Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art N7740 H34 1994 (Ref)
  • Oxford Art Online
  • Praeger Encyclopedia of Art
    N33 P68 (Ref)
  • A World History of Art
    N5300 H68 2005

Researching an Artist

 

Searching the Library Catalogue: Helpful Tips

To search an exact phrase...use Quotes
"latin american art"

To search a particular artist, search under subject and use the last name first, followed by the first name or the first letter of the first name
Kahlo, F or Picasso, Pablo

To narrow your search...use AND
art and german

To exclude certain words from your search...use NOT
(renaissance and art) not literature

To use various terms for similar concepts...use OR
(canadian or quebecois) and art

To search the root of a word...use ?
art? will retrieve
art
arts
artist
artistical
artiste
artisti

Core and Additional Databases

Find journal articles using these core online indexes and databases:

  • Art Bibliographies Modern (Proquest)
    ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) Covers contemporary and modern art in all forms, from painting, sculpture and photography to video, body art and graffiti. From the late 1960s+.
  • Art Full Text (Wilson)
    Covers Art, Architecture, Housing and Urban Planning. Indexes (from 1984) and abstracts (from 1994) articles from periodicals published throughout the world. May cross-search with Art Index, Art Retrospective (1929-1984) and Art Image Gallery.
  • Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA and Répertoire de la litterature de l'art (RILA)
    Covers material published between 1975 and 2007. For material published after 2007 see the International Bibliography of Art (IBA)
  • International Bibliography of Art (IBA) (CSA)
    Covers international scholarship within the following broad parameters: European art from late antiquity to the present, American art from the colonial era to the present, and global art since 1945; Visual arts in all media, plus decorative and applied arts, museum studies and conservation, archaeology and classical studies, antiques and architectural history, and related fields.

Additional Online Indexes and Databases

Find journal articles using these print indexes:

  • Concordia University Art Index to 19th Century Canadian Periodicals
    Z5937 C67 (Ref)

Image Databases

Search to find images and reproductions of art works

Selected Internet Sites

  • Art History Resources on the Web
    Over 7000 links to art history sites from all over the world and from all time periods. Additional links to museums & galleries, research guides, image resources, and online journals.
  • arthistoricum.net
    An internet portal for research and teaching in the history of art. Provides printed and electonic publications as well as image databases.
  • AskArt: American Artists on the Internet
    Produced by AskART, a team of art dealers, historians, and archivists. Provides access to auction records, image galleries, artists' bibliographies, and information on museum holdings and dealers.
  • Dictionary of Art Historians
    A scholarly database offering biographical and methodological information of major art historians of western art history.
  • International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property
    The Portal is a collaboration of national and other archival institutions with records that pertain to Nazi-Era cultural property.
  • Smithsonian Institution Research Information Systems
    Specialized art databases containing bibliographic records and selective images from the Smithsonian Institution.
  • Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art
    The Timeline of Art History is a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Provides theme specific searches, as well as general browsing.
  • Voice of the Shuttle
    The VoS mission has been to provide a structured and briefly annotated guide to online resources in the humanities disciplines and at the same time reflect the transformation of those disciplines as they interact with the sciences and social sciences and with new digital media. Related categories include: Art (Modern and Contemporary), Art History, and Archaeology.
  • Web Gallery of Art
    The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism periods (1000-1850).

Other Resources

Catalogues of Special Collections

  • Artcyclopedia
    Has compiled a comprehensive index of every artist represented at hundreds of museum sites, image archives, and other online resources. Provides references to sites where artists' works can be viewed online.
  • Art Guide
    "A comprehensive internet guide to the art collections of Great Britain and Ireland. [It] is organised by artist, by museum and geographically." More than 1,900 artists and 650 museums are listed -from the website [03/03]. online
  • British Museum Online Image Collection: Compass
    COMPASS is an on-line database featuring around 5,000 objects from the British Museum's collections. Provides links, background information, maps, and online tours on a variety of subjects. Each object is illustrated with high quality images that you can enlarge and study in detail. The information has been written with the general visitor in mind, and technical terms are explained in glossary links. Includes bibliographic references.
    online
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) Library Catalog
    Catalogue of one of the leading art history research libraries in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Museum of Modern Art (NYC) Library Catalog
  • Metropolitain Museum of Art Permanent Collection
  • Catalogue of the Library of the National Gallery of Canada
    Since 1968, descriptive cataloguing of French language publications has been done in that language. English and foreign language publications are described in English.
    online
  • National Gallery of Canada : Cybermuse
    CyberMuse links you to the National Gallery of Canada's permanent collection through the Internet offering a complementary experience, a new dimension in interpreting, understanding and enjoying Canada's visual arts heritage [11/04]. online
  • The World's Master Paintings: From the Early Renaissance to the Present Day
    A comprehensive listing of works by 1,300 painters and complete guide to their locations worldwide in two volumes. Vol. 1 - divided into two parts: One - index of painters; Two - painters and paintings biography, bibliography, important collections, and a complete list of paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries. Vol. 2 - divided into two parts: Three - locations and institutions bibliography, list of and guide to collections, with specific bibliographies, key holdings, and complete list of painters represented; Four - index of titles from the 13th to 20th centuries).
    ND40 W75 1975 (Ref) v. 1-2

Bibliography

  • Art and Architecture in Canada: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature to 1981
    Provides the most significant contributions to the literature of art and architecture in Canada published between 1825 and 1981. Each of the 9,555 bibliographic entries is annotated in English and/or French, following the language of the citation. Subject areas are arranged by topic and by geographical area. Bilingual index by author and subject.
    Z5961 C3 L47 1991 (Ref) v. 1-2
  • Books on Art in Early America: Books on Art, Aesthetics, and Instruction Available in American Libraries and Bookstores through 1815
    A guide to art treaties, instruction manuals, and books related to drawing, painting, engraving, sculpture, artist biography, art history, and aesthetics through 1815.
    Z5961 U5 S35 2007 (Ref)
  • Bibliographic Guide to Art and Architecture
    Multiple editions (mostly in two volumes) listing publications catalogued during the previous year for each edition. It also serves as an annual supplement to the Dictionary Catalog of the Art and Architecture Division of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library.
    Z5939 B53x (Ref)
  • Fine arts: a bibliographic guide to basic reference works, histories, and handbooks 3rd Edition
    Divided into two parts: reference works covering periodical articles and books published after 1830 to September 1st, 1988, and; histories and handbooks covering books published after 1875 to September 1st, 1988.
    Z5931 E47 1990 (Ref)
  • Guide to Art Reference Books
    A guide to over 2,500 reference works (pre-1958) covering: architecture; painting; sculpture; prints and engravings; drawings, and; the applied arts. Includes periodicals, series, and special collections for these subject areas.
    Z5931 C45 (Ref)
  • Guide to the Literature of Art History
    Bibliography addressing subject research in the field of art history. Divided into four parts: general reference sources; materials for the study of art history; literature concerning the various media, and; serials. The cut-off date for inclusion in this publication was 1977.
    Z5931 A67 (Ref)
  • Print Catalogue Raisonnés online

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Updated on Fri, 2012-05-25 07:55
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