Disciplines & Professions: Art

Web Sites

About.com's Art/Literature Directory
http://home.about.com/arts/

Listings broken down by books/authors, performing arts, visual arts and design, history, writing and publishing, and languages. Includes daily feature sites.

Open Directory's Arts Directory
http://dmoz.org/Arts/

Contains a varied subject index, including individual links to topics such as body art, animation, and native and tribal, in addition to typical categories such as dance and literature.

World Wide Art Resources
http://wwar.com/

Provides access to arts services, artist's portfolios, and global arts resources. Features many sites with attractive graphics and interactive design.

World Wide Arts Art History Directory
http://wwar.com/arthistory/

Contains a varied subject index, including links to topics such as body art, animation, and native and tribal arts in addition to typical categories such as dance and literature.

Yahoo!'s Arts Directory
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/

Keyword search directs you to categories and individual sites. Also searchable by region and large subject category index.

Databases

Art Abstracts (Wilson, available through OCLC FirstSearch)

Indexes both American and European periodicals since 1984, with abstracts from 1994 to the present. Covers a range of art subjects including painting, sculpture, photography, film, folk arts, and many more. Compiled by experts from a wide array of art specializations from more than 400 leading publications.

Art Full Text (Wilson, available through OCLC FirstSearch)

Contains full text plus abstracts and indexing for international scope articles as far back as 1997.

Art Index (SilverPlatter)

This is a two-part index. The first contains records from before 1984. The second contains records from 1984 to present. Entries after 1994 include abstracts. Includes entries from over 350 journals.

Bibliography of the History of Art (J. Paul Getty Trust and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientific, available through Research Libraries Group)

Covers both European and American art. Entries include a citation and an abstract. Some abstracts may be in French. Includes publications from 1991 to present.

The Grove Dictionary of Art Online (Oxford)

Provides online access to The Dictionary of Art (1996, 34 vols.) with ongoing additions of new material and updates to the text, plus extensive image links. Contains more than 45,000 articles on all topics in the field of visual arts. Includes information on artists, art form, writers, theory, civilizations and cultures, and much more. Compiled by 6,800+ art scholars from around the world.

Print Resources

American Art Directory. New Providence, NJ: Reed Elsevier, 1898-.

Indexes art organizations, schools, and general information such as museums and magazines. Provides a subject index.

Art Index. New York: Wilson, 1929-. 52 vols.

This index covers both foreign and domestic art publications. Entries are listed by author and subject, and cover a wide range of art topics.

Cerrito, Joann, ed. Contemporary Artists. 4th ed. New York: St. James, 1996.

Biographical profiles of more than 800 contemporary artists. Covers all areas of art including painting, sculpture, performance, and graphics. Entries also include a bibliography and critical essays on each artist.

Chilvers, Ian, ed. Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996.

Covers art from the 5th century B.C. to the present. Includes biographies of notable artists as well as information on topics such as techniques, styles, museums, galleries and more.

Gaze, Delia, ed. Dictionary of Women Artists. 2 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.

Provides information on female artists in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Entries cover the Middle Ages to the present. Also provides a survey of the historical development of art by women. The two-volume dictionary provides both biographical information and a bibliography for each artist.

Langmuir, Erika, and Norbert Lynton. The Yale Dictionary of Art and Artists. New Haven: Yale UP, 2000.

Alphabetical list of information on art and artists. Originally intended for students and as a reference for travelers and gallery visitors. Covers subjects from 1300 to the present.

Turner, Jane, ed. Dictionary of Art. 34 vols. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 1996.

Thirty-four volumes of information on general art topics and artists. Entries appear alphabetically. Reader may also use the final volume, a cumulative index.