Best Bet Databases for Art History
- Art & Architecture Source This link opens in a new windowIncludes magazine and journal articles, book reviews and conference proceedings, podcasts and more regarding fine arts, decorative and commercial art, as well as architecture and architectural design. Covers sources from 1914 to the present with selected full text.
- ARTstor This link opens in a new windowCurated collections of digital images and associated data for non-commercial, scholarly, non-profit, and educational use. Over 1 million images.
- Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new windowAccess a wide-variety of art resources across Oxford’s art reference works. Includes articles, visual arts, digital images, biographies, bibliographies, encyclopedias, and more.
Common Research Questions for Art History
1. Find an Oxford Art Online entry for the artist(s), movement, or geographic focus mentioned by the student
2. Have the student explain the assignment and their take, before jumping in to suggest resources.
3. Locating books from Library Search and Wordlcat on the specific topic communicated by the the student is the next step.
4. Then, it is time to search articles in these databases:
- Art & Architecture Source This link opens in a new window
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals This link opens in a new window
- ARTbibliographies Modern This link opens in a new window
- International Bibliography of Art (see also BHA) This link opens in a new window
Sometimes you get the "Antiques Roadshow" questions from the public. "I inherited this X ; can you tell me if it is valuable?" Don't spend too much time on these, but refer them to a guide like this one from the Boston Public Library. We do have some auction information that can be searched via the Walk-in computers.
- Artnet This link opens in a new window
- Artkhade Price Database This link opens in a new window
