Subject Librarian for Art & Architecture
Art - Related Guides
Getting Started - Art Reference
Encyclopedias are great tools for gaining background information, putting your topic in context and identifying key terms, people and core resources. In addition to those above, you can search the catalog for your topic and add the word encyclopedias, for example: art encyclopedias.
- Oxford Art Online (8 users) This link opens in a new window Extensive surveys and in-depth, signed full-text articles on the history of art written by noted scholars.Includes: Grove Art Online; Benezit Dictionary of Artists; Encyclopedia of Aesthetics; The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms; The Oxford Companion to Western Art
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Online This link opens in a new windowOnline edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, covering all subjects.
- Oxford Reference Online (5 users) This link opens in a new window Art & Architecture dictionaries and encyclopedias. •Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art •The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art TermsIncludes:•A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art•A Dictionary of Modern Design •The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Art History This link opens in a new window Expert recommendations on the best works available in each discipline; from a chapter, a book, a journal article, a website, an archive, or data set. Each article includes an introduction written by a top scholar in the field. Covers the theory, method, and the history of the study of art history.
- Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (Artists of the World Online) This link opens in a new window The database Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Online (Artists of the World Online) is the world’s most contemporary, reliable and extensive reference work on artists. It contains authoritative, up-to-date biographical information on more than 1.2 million artists.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index (1975 - ) This link opens in a new window Indexes any print product that includes biographical information on individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world. The total number of biographical sketches indexed by BGMI is now more than 16.9 million.
- Bloomsbury International Encyclopedia of Surrealism This link opens in a new window An exclusive digital resource presenting the first comprehensive and systematic overview of one of the most influential and enduring 20th-century art movements, from its beginnings to the present day.
- African American Visual Artists Database (AAVAD) Open access resource from scholars at Tufts University. Provides biographical information, exhibition records, public collections, and select bibliography for each artist.
- Getty Vocabularies Getty Vocabularies contain a growing structured terminology for art, architecture, decorative arts and other material culture to be used by catalogers and researchers to enhance access to databases and Web sites.
Art books : a basic bibliography of monographs on artists by Call Number: Art Reference Z5938 .F73 1997ISBN: 0824033264This work contains monographs, catalogue raisonnes, and exhibition catalogues for each artist listed.
Art in theory 1648-1815 : an anthology of changing ideas by Call Number: Art Gen N6420 .A78 2000
Art in theory, 1815-1900 : an anthology of changing ideas by Call Number: Art General N6450 .A779 1998ISBN: 0631200657
Art in theory, 1900-2000 : an anthology of changing ideas by Call Number: Art General N6490 .A7283 2003ISBN: 0631227075
Artist's handbook of materials and techniquesCall Number: Art Reference ND1500 M3 1991
Guide to the Literature of Art History 2 by Call Number: Art Reference Z5931 .M374 2005ISBN: 0838908780No online equivalent. Comprehensive guide to research in art history.
Modern arts criticism : a biographical and critical guide to painters, sculptors, photographers and architects from the beginning of the modern era to the present by Call Number: Art Reference N6489 M63 v. 1-4
Wikipedia
Wikipedia and Academic Research
Unlike traditional encyclopedia articles, which are usually professionally written and edited, anyone can edit Wikipedia: experts, amateurs, cranks—and you. This has advantages and disadvantages that need to be kept in mind if you use Wikipedia.
Advantages: Wikipedia's breadth and scope are unequalled, and it is usually very-up-to-date. Articles in many subjects—including technology, the sciences, and pop-culture—are often detailed and accurate. Since any one can change a Wikipedia article factual errors are often quickly corrected--at least in popular articles. As a result, it can be a useful place to get a quick and current overview of many topics.
Disadvantages: The quality of articles on more obscure and controversial topics varies greatly: these articles can be incomplete or idiosyncratic. In these areas, you are likely to be better off relying on a more traditional encyclopedia whether in-print or online.
In most cases, Wikipedia is not an acceptable source for an academic paper--though the same can be said about traditional encyclopedias.This does not mean that Wikipedia can't play a role in academic research: it can be a useful place to begin, but it is not where you should finish.
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Off Campus Access
While some of the resources in this guide are freely available, most research databases and electronic journals and many online library services have access restrictions that require that you be a current Washington University student, faculty member, or staff member. See this page for help.