LibGuides: Architecture & Design: ARTH 101

Introduction

Welcome to the Art History Research Guide. Here you can find:

Background and contextual information on Artists, Styles, and Movements from Encyclopedias
Art History Analysis and Essays in academic and full text articles
Essential Art History Websites
Design History Sources
Image Collections and Museums Collections
Art Market Research and Provenance.

Step 1: Collect Background References

Credo Reference
Multi-disciplinary dictionaries and encyclopedic resources. Nearly 1,000 reference tools that may be searched collectively or individually.
Oxford Art Online
Art encyclopedia for visual arts and culture.
Oxford Reference
Contains: Dictionaries & Encyclopedias in variety of fields

A Companion to Modern Art by Pam Meecham (Editor); Dana Arnold (Series edited by)
ISBN: 9781118639849

Publication Date: 2018-02-13
The Concise Dictionary of Art Terms by Michael Clarke
ISBN: 9780199569922

Publication Date: 2010-08-20
Encyclopedia of Aesthetics by Michael Kelly (Editor-In-Chief)
ISBN: 9780199747108

Publication Date: 2014-07-02
The Oxford dictionary of art and artists. by Chilvers, Ian.
ISBN: 9780191782763

Publication Date: 2017

Open Educational Resources (OER)
by Rosemary Burgos-Mira Last Updated Aug 13, 2025 360 views this year

Art History Library Catalogs and Bibliographies

OpenBibArt
OpenBibArt is an open-access art historical database unifying the contents of four related datasets. Researchers may freely search in French or English to discover a wide range of citations from among nearly 1.2 million journal articles, books, and exhibition and auction sales catalogues published between 1910 and 2007 on topics in the arts and archeology from late Antiquity to the mid-2000s.

The datasets include: the Répertoire d’Art et d’Archéologie (RAA); the Répertoire International de la Littérature de l'Art/International Repertory of the Literature of Art (RILA); and the Bibliographie d’Histoire de l’Art/Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
Getty Library Catalog - Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
The Getty provides access to the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and to the Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA). These citation databases, searchable together, cover material published between 1975 and 2007.
Art & Architecture Collection at the New York Public Library

Step 2: Academic and Full Text Articles

Academic One File Select
Subjects: Multi-disciplinary: Arts, humanities, social sciences, science and technology
Academic Search Complete
Art & Architecture Source
Access to full-text or indexed journal articles, books and images in the fine and decorative arts and architecture.
Art Index Retrospective
Art literature covering fine, decorative, and commercial art.
Fine Arts: Gale OneFile
Subjects: Drama, music, art history, and filmmaking
Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides access to scholarly literature available on the web. Access to the full text of articles is either available free of charge or restricted behind a publisher's pay wall. For access to full text, open "Settings," click on "Library Links," search for "New York Institute of Technology" and check the box for "New York Institute of Technology - FullText@NYIT."
JSTOR Language & Literature Collection
Subjects: African studies, art & art history, education, women studies, Latin American studies, Asian studies, American literature
WorldCat Global
Catalog of books & other materials in libraries worldwide.

Art History Websites

Heilbrunn History of Art Timeline
Smarthistory
ADAM: Art, Design, Architecture & Media Information Gateway
Art History Research.net
by Dr. Christopher L.C.E. Witcombe
Arcyclopedia
Art History indexing site by John Maylon which covers over 9000 artists, art movements, artworks, and art sites.
CARTA - Collaborative ART Archive
Includes a record of websites within the scope of eight (8) collection topics, including: Art Criticism; Art Fairs and Events; Art Galleries; Art History/Scholarship; Artists Websites; Arts Education; Arts Organizations; and Auction Houses.

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Art historians, critics, curators, humanities scholars and many others rely on the records of artists, galleries, museums, and arts organizations to conduct historical research and to understand and contextualize contemporary artistic practice. Currently, much of the art-related materials that were once published in print form are now available primarily or solely on the web and are thus ephemeral by nature. Without a sustained, coordinated approach to archiving this web-based art material, a significant portion of this content is at risk of disappearing. (from website).
Google Arts & Culture

Important Art History Libraries & Collections

Art & Architecture Collection at the New York Public Library
Getty Library Catalog - Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
The Getty provides access to the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and to the Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA). These citation databases, searchable together, cover material published between 1975 and 2007.
Morgan Library
NYARC Discovery
NYARC Discovery is a research tool from the New York Art Resources Consortium libraries of the Brooklyn Museum, The Frick Collection, and The Museum of Modern Art.
Watsonline (Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Notable Museum Collections

Journals & Periodicals

Art historical periodicals/journals and magazines provide documentation and interpretation of art and ideas when they occurred. These include critiques, analyses, interviews of artists, individual works, exhibitions, and gallery reviews. Search across 1000s journals using indexed and/or full-text databases.

`Read your favorites with the Magazine Reader, Browzine App`

BrowZine
by Sebastien Marion Last Updated Feb 28, 2024 17 views this year

Art History Video

Alexander Street videos
Videos- subscription is per title. If the video you need is not available as full access, please email askalibrarian@nyit.edu
Kanopy Video Streaming
Movies and Documentaries

Masterworks Film Collection

Film Databases:

Kanopy Video Streaming
Movies and Documentaries
Swank Streaming Films
Videos- subscription is per title. If the video you need is not available as full access, please email askalibrarian@nyit.edu

Art & Art History Curation

Art Historians, Curators, and Exhibition Designers collect, interpret, and preserve the Arts. This field has a long history of exclusion and lacking diverse representation. Practitioners in the field have published these guides to move forward with more equitable recognition and collection of artists and their creative works

Art Market and Art Provenance Research

How to research artwork ownership, provenance and valuations.

Art markets persistently influence art historical research. They serve as a place for identification, evaluation, and contextualization when new works or art collections change hands.
Art Markets document and define points in history for works of art, artist, or an artistic movement. When artworks come to market, these become dates in the artwork's provenance history. Auction listings and sales contribute to the story of an artwork.
Read more about the art market, in the Oxford Encyclopedia or dive into the market research with these sources,

Image: Board Auction by Daumier, Honoré 2/26/1808, Marseille, France, 19.5 × 29.5 cm, paper, chalk
10.2.1879, Valmondois - CC0. https://www.europeana.eu/item/2021012/app_si_A_2002_175

Invaluable.com
Dashboard of ongoing auction listings.
Askart.com
Auction Records and research tools since 1987.
Getty Provenance Index
Wildenstein Plattner Institute
The WPI presents a selection of 21,000+ sales catalogues dating pre-1945, many of which are annotated. Search for sales catalogues by entering a keyword or by city, country, and/or date.
Digital Benin
Digital Benin assembles resources on more than 5,000 artifacts looted from the Kingdom of Benin (modern-day Edo State, Nigeria) by British forces in 1897 and subsequently dispersed around the world.

Architecture & Design

References

Introduction

Welcome to the Art History Research Guide. Here you can find:

Background and contextual information on Artists, Styles, and Movements from Encyclopedias

Art History Analysis and Essays in academic and full text articles

Essential Art History Websites

Image Collections and Museums Collections

Art Market Research and Provenance.

Step 1: Collect Background References

Art History Library Catalogs and Bibliographies

Step 2: Academic and Full Text Articles

Art History Websites

Important Art History Libraries & Collections

Notable Museum Collections

Recommended Image Collections by Topic

Digital Art History Directories

Art & Art History

Journals & Periodicals

Journals & Periodicals

`Read your favorites with the Magazine Reader, Browzine App`

Art History Video

Film Databases:

Art & Art History Curation

Art Market and Art Provenance Research

How to research artwork ownership, provenance and valuations.