LibGuides: Art History and Visual Studies: A Research Guide: Reference

Oxford Art

Oxford Art Online is the access point for Grove Art Online, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, Oxford Companion to Western Art, and Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Includes image partnerships and a digital image search.

Other Online Encyclopedias

Oxford Reference
Call Number: Online
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Call Number: Online

Benezit

Included in Oxford Art Online is the Bénézit Dictionary of Artists (also available in print at the Library Annex). Bénézit includes some auction records in biographical entries on individual artists.

Bénézit (via Oxford Art)
The Benezit Dictionary of Artists offers nearly 170,000 entries on artists from antiquity to the present day and featuring regular updates. Benezit contains thousands of auction records, museum holdings, and bibliographies. In addition to its outstanding scope and depth, two features in particular make Benezit unique among art reference works: its coverage of obscure artists and the inclusion of images of artists’ signatures, monograms, and stamps.

Reference Collections

The print reference collection on art and art history is located on the first level of the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library.

In Olin Library, the print reference collection is located on the first floor (ask a member of the reference staff for help locating reference materials during the current renovation project).

Examples of resources in print and online include: bibliographies, directories, dictionaries (of symbols, terms, techniques, etc.), a few catalogues raisonnés, subject encyclopedias, guides, handbooks, manuals...

Oxford Bibliographies

Offers bibliographies on many, many topics (a few pertinent individual titles listed below). Provides introductions to each topic area, and includes guides to introductory works, textbooks, guidebooks, journals, reference works etc., and links to useful websites.

Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. There are at least 50 specific topical bibliographies in each subject area. Each of these features an introduction to the topic. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.

Help from Oxford: Anatomy of an Article

Some other bibliographies available at Cornell: