Art History Resource Guide
Librarian
Name: Kristina Keogh
Phone: (804) 828-6339
Email: keoghkm@vcu.edu
Introduction
This guide provides an overview of tools and basic strategies for conducting library research in Art History. Included is information on finding circulating books and reference sources, journals (both in print and online), databases, and major Internet resources. All collections marked 
are available on both campuses OR off-campus with EZProxy.
Check the catalog
Search the Library Catalog to determine what books, journals, and audiovisual materials the Libraries own and where they are located.
- General searching: When you are looking for books on a topic do a Words Anywhere search first.
example: art history. - Exhibition Catalogs: To locate exhibition catalogs in Cabell, simply use an Art Exhibition Catalog Search. (From the catalog, click "Advanced Search" then choose "Exhibition Catalog" in the "Format" box.)
- E-Books: VCU Libraries provides access to a collection of electronic books through NetLibrary . (From the home page, click "Quick Links," and choose "E-Books.") NetLibrary is a collection of electronic books from leading university, trade and professional publishers available via the Internet 24 hours a day. For full access, VCU faculty, students and staff must first create free individual user accounts. More about NetLibrary.
- Browsing the shelves: Use the following sections of the Library of Congress Classes for Fine Arts to browse the shelves for books.
- N 5300 - N 7418 -- Visual Arts. History.
- NA 190 - NA 1555.5 -- Architecture. History.
- NB 60 - NB 115 -- Sculpture. History.
- NC 60 - NC 266 -- History of Drawing.
- ND 49 - ND 813 -- Painting. History.
- NE 400 - NE 773 -- Print Media. History.
- NK 600 - NK 800 -- Decorative Arts. History.
- NK 1175 - NK 1498 -- Decorations and Ornament Design. History.
- NK 1700 - NK 2138 -- Interior Decoration. General. History.
- NX 440 - NX 632 -- History of the Arts.
- Where do I find things? Check out where things are in the Cabell Library.
- Do other libraries have what you need?
- Interlibrary Loan: VCU Libraries will get the items that you need if they are not in the collections. You do not need to identify which library has the required item - we'll do that for you. See what you need to do. To search for materials in other libraries, use the
Worldcat database or check the catalogs of other Virginia Libraries.
- Interlibrary Loan: VCU Libraries will get the items that you need if they are not in the collections. You do not need to identify which library has the required item - we'll do that for you. See what you need to do. To search for materials in other libraries, use the
Worldcat
Surveys and Guides
- Art Books: a basic bibliography of monographs on artists. Cabell Library Reference Z 5938 .F73 1997
- Art History (by Marilyn Stokstad). Cabell Library Reference N 5300 .S923 2005
- Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture. Cabell Library Reference NA 200 .F63 1996
- Gardner's Art through the Ages. Cabell Library Reference N 5300 .G25 1991
- Guide to the Literature of Art History 2. Cabell Library Reference Z 5931 .M374 2005
- History of Italian Renaissance Art: painting, sculpture, architecture. Cabell Library Reference N 6915 .H37 2003
- Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. Cabell Librarian Reference N 5300 .J3 2007
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
- Contemporary Masterworks. Cabell Library Reference N 6490 .C67 1991
- The Dictionary of Art. Cabell Library Reference N 31 .D5 1996 and Grove Art Online VCU
- Dictionary of the Arts. Cabell Library Reference NX 80 .D53 1994
- A Dictionary of Art Titles: the origins of the names and titles of 3,000 works of art. Cabell Library Reference N 33 .R56 2000
- The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Cabell Library Reference N 33 .O93 2004 and Online VCU
- The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms. Cabell Library Reference N 33 .L75 2004
Biographical Sources
- Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Cabell Library Reference N 40 .B4713 2006
- Contemporary Artists. Cabell Library Reference N 6490 .C6567 1996
- Dictionary of Women Artists. Cabell Library Reference N 8354 .D53 1997
- Vasari's Lives of the Painters. Cabell Library Reference N 6922 .V213 1897
Iconographic Sources
- The Dent Dictionary of Symbols in Christian Art. Cabell Library Reference N 7825 .S68 1994
- Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: themes depicted in works of art. Cabell Library Reference N 7560 .E53 1998
- Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art. Cabell Library Reference N 7740 .H35 1994
- Nature and Its Symbols. Cabell Library Reference N 7680 .I4713 2004
Journal Finder
E-Journal Search
This will let you know whether an electronic version of a journal is available from VCU. Links to journals are provided. Note: the search box only searches for the names of journals, not the subject content - use one of the research databases for this.
Alternative : Go to the VCU Libraries Catalog, select a journal title search, type in the title of the journal.
Selected Journals
- The Art Book VCU
- Art Bulletin VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Art History VCU Cabell Library Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Art Journal VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Art News Cabell Library Current Periodicals and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Burlington Magazine VCU Cabell Library Current Periodicals and Bound Journals (2nd floor)
- Oxford Art Journal VCU Cabell Library Bound Journals (2nd floor)
Most of these databases feature the "Get it @VCU" tab - 
. This service provides hyperlinks to a variety of options such as the electronic full-text (if available), the VCU library catalog, ILLiad, and Ask-a-Librarian.
ARTbibliographies Modern (CSA) VCU (1974 - present)
Abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art.
Art Full Text VCU (1984 - present) AND Art Index Retrospective VCU (1929 - 1984)
Citations and some full text to articles from periodicals published throughout the world including yearbooks and museum bulletins. Also indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals. Retrospective is an electronic version of Art Index, volumes 1-32, and contains all citations found in the print version. (Tip: to search for images or illustrations, use a keyword search including "AND illustration" or "AND (illustration OR reproduction)" along with your topic terms or artist's name.)
Arts and Humanities Citation Index via ISI Web of Science VCU (1975 - present)
Database of references cited in articles from 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals. Search by cited reference, topic, and author. Web of Science Tutorial
ARTstor VCU
Curated collections of digital art images and associated data for noncommercial and scholarly, non-profit educational use. Select "Search and Browse for Images" to enter. Uses cookies and pop-ups.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals VCU (1930s - present)
Citations from international architecture literature.
Also includes archaeology, city planning, interior design and set design. Selectives coverage dating back to 1860s.
BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art VCU (1973 - present)
Citations and abstracts of books, conference proceedings, dissertations, catalogs, and journal articles. Covers European and American art from antiquity to the present.
Design and Applied Arts Index VCU (1973 - present)
The Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) contains over 130,000 annotated references from more than 500 design and craft journals and newspapers published from 1973 onwards, and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, firms etc., making it the largest index of its kind in the world.
Grove Art Online VCU
Searchable access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art (2001) with ongoing additions of new material and updates to the text, plus extensive image links.
JSTOR VCU
Searchable backfiles of core journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. (Backfiles end 3 - 5 years prior to current date). JSTOR collections available at VCU
Complete list of all Arts databases - click "Brief View" to see full description of each database.
Art History Resources on the Web (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html)
From Christopher Witcombe, Professor of Art History, Sweet Briar College, Virginia. The most comprehensive directory of art and art history resources on the Web. Broad categories are: Prehistoric art, Ancient art, art of the middle ages, Renaissance art, Baroque, 18th-century art, 19th-century art, 20th-century art, non-European art, research resources, museums & galleries, and prints & photography.
Artcyclopedia (http://artcyclopedia.com/)
Comprehensive index to over 7,000 artists and links to approximately 80,000 works, primarily painting and sculpture.
ArtDaily (http://www.artdaily.com/)
The First Art Newspaper on the Net
with today's and last week's news.
Valuable resource for current information on the art world.
artnet (http://www.artnet.com/)
Includes artnet Magazine with daily news, reviews, and features by renowned writers in the art community and the Price Database. Browse over 80,000 international artists, from Old Masters to modern and contemporary art.
AskArt: the American Artists Bluebook (http://www.askart.com/AskART/help/services_info.aspx)
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.
The Dictionary of Art Historians (http://www.dictionaryofarthistorians.org/)
This database is designed to give researchers a beginning point to finding information on the background of major art historians of western art history.
Mother of All Art and Art History Links Pages (http://www.art-design.umich.edu/mother/)
Sponsored by the School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan.
Links grouped under the headings, "Art History Departments, Research
Resources, Resources for Visual Collections, Image Collections and
Online Art, Online Exhibitions, Fine Art Schools and Departments,
Art Museums, Textual and Linguistic Resources, New Media Art and Resources."
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (http://sirismm.si.edu/siris/saam.htm)
Specialized art databases containing bibliographic records and selective images from the Smithsonian Institution.
Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm)
"The Timeline of Art History is a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration
of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated especially by the
Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection." Provides theme specific searches,
as well as general browsing.
Web Gallery of Art (http://www.wga.hu/index.html)
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 16,200 reproductions. Commentaries on pictures and biographies of artists are available.