Visual Arts Information Resources: Background Information

Dictionaries and terminology

Art history : the key concepts. N 5300 H278 2006.
ArtLex: Dictionary of Visual Art. "...definitions for more than 3,600 terms used in discussing art/visual culture, along with thousands of supporting images..."
Artspeak: a guide to contemporary ideas, movements, and buzzwords, 1945 to the present. 2nd ed. N 6490 A87 1997
Artspoke: a guide to modern ideas, movements, and buzzwords, 1848-1944. N 6447 A85 1993
Artwords: a glossary of contemporary art theory. N 71 P32 1997
Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts. 3d ed.
- Also in print P 90 H33463 2002
Glossary of art, architecture & design since 1945. 3rd ed. N 34 W34 1992
The HarperCollins dictionary of art terms and techniques. 2nd ed. N 33 M37 1991
Multilingual glossary for art librarians (IFLA). 2nd rev. ed. 1996.
The Oxford dictionary of art. 3rd ed.
- Also in print N 33 O93 2004
Photospeak: a guide to the ideas, movements, and techniques of photography, 1839 to the present. TR 15 M63 1998
The Thames and Hudson dictionary of ancient Egypt. 2000. DT 58 W55 2005
The Thames and Hudson dictionary of art and artists. Rev. ed. 1994.
The Thames & Hudson dictionary of art terms. New ed. 2003.
The Thames and Hudson dictionary of graphic design and designers. Rev. ed. 1998.

The artist's complete health and safety guide. 2nd ed. N 8530 R838 1994
The artist's handbook of materials and techniques. 5th ed. ND 1500 M3 1991
The color compendium. 1990. QC 494.2 H67
Grove Art Online
The Grove Dictionary of Art. 34 vol.
- Also in print N 31 D5 1996.
The art atlas N 5300 A77 2008
Guide to art (Bloomsbury).1996.
International dictionary of art and artists. N 7425 I68 1990
Prestel Dictionary of art and artists in the 20th century. N6490 P72 2000
The 20th-century art book. N 6490 T93 1996
The Great Buildings Collection.
This gateway to architecture around the world and across history documents a thousand buildings and hundreds of leading architects, with 3D models, photographic images and architectural drawings, commentaries, bibliographies, web links, and more, for famous designers and structures of all kinds.

Hall's illustrated dictionary of symbols in Eastern and Western art. N 7740 H34 1994
The Oxford companion to Christian art and architecture. N 7830 M87 1996
The Dent dictionary of symbols in Christian art. N 8010 S64 1994
The Oxford guide to classical mythology in the arts, 1300-1990s. 2 vol. NX 650 M9 R45 1993
Symbols and allegories in art. N 7740 B2913 2005

The Grove Dictionary of Art. 34 vol.
- Also in print N 31 D5 1996.
Grove Art Online.
A biographical dictionary of artists. NX 40 B53 1995
The Penguin dictionary of art and artists. N 31 M82 1997
Dictionary of artists. Benezit. 2006. 14 vol. N 40 D5213 2006 Dictionary of painters, sculptors, and graphic artists of all times and nations. Based on the 1999 French edition by Emmanuel Bénézit
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. 1907-50. 37 vol. The most comprehensive biographical dictionary of artists from antiquity to the present. N 40 T4 Supplemented by:
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler des XX. Jahrhunderts. 1953-62. 6 vol. Biographical dictionary of 20th century artists in all media, emphasizing artists born after 1870. N 40 V6
Dictionary of art historians. Biographical information about western art historians

A to Z of Canadian art: artists & art terms. N 6540 M275 1997
Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art.
Contemporary Canadian artists. N 6548 C65 1997
A dictionary of Canadian artists. 1967- N 6548 M3
First nations art, an introduction to contemporary native artists in Canada. From Concordia University and SchoolNet Digital Collections Program, Industry Canada.
Artists of the Pacific Northwest, a biographical dictionary, 1600s-1970. Includes artists working in BC. N 6528 S52 1993
Peintres et ateliers, Québec = Artists and studios, Quebec. ND 246 Q4 S7 1994
See also Artistes du Québec (Bennett Reference ND 246 Q4 L44) for similar descriptions of other painters.
Women artists in Canada - Celebrating Women's Achievements (Library and Archives Canada) .
AskART. "The world's most comprehensive database about American artists." Includes Auction Records, Biography, Image Gallery, Book and Periodical References, Exhibitions and other information sources.
Dictionary of contemporary American artists. 6th ed. N 6536 C8 1994
Contemporary American women sculptors. 1986. NB 212 W37
Who's who in American art. 1966- Covers all fields of art and related disciplines in Canada, Mexico and the US. N 6536 W5
Who's who in art: biographies of leading men and women in the world of art today. 1970- Primarily British focus on all fields of art and related disciplines. N 40 W6

Contemporary artists. 5th ed. N 6490 C6567 2002
Contemporary women artists. N 8354 C66 1999
Dictionary of women artists. 2 vol. N 8354 D53 1997
Dictionary of women artists: an international dictionary of women artists born before 1900. 1985. N 43 P47
North American women artists of the twentieth century: a biographical dictionary. N 6503 N67 1995

Action art: a bibliography of artists' performance from futurism to Fluxus and beyond. NX 600 P47 G73 1993
American women artists, past and present: a selected bibliographic guide. 1984. 2 vol. N 6505 Z975
Art and architecture in Canada: a bibliography and guide to the literature to 1981. 2 vol. NX 513 A1 Z95 1991
Art books: a basic bibliography of monographs on artists. 2nd ed. N 40 Z94 1997
Art information: research methods and sources. 3rd ed. N 85 J64 1990
Art on screen: a directory of films and videos about the visual arts. N 366 A78 1992
Artexte Bibliographic Database. Bilingual database describing more than 16,000 documents on contemporary art. Includes exhibition catalogues, artists' books, and monographs.
Contemporary art trends 1960-1980: a guide to sources. N 6490 Z923
Guide to the literature of art history. N 380 Z92
Guide to the literature of art history 2. N 380 Z955 2005
Photographic literature + Suppl. 1960-1970 TR 9 Z923
Research guide to the history of Western art. 1982. N 380 K56
Twentieth-century artists on art: an index to writings, statements, and interviews by artists, architects, and designers. NX 456 R59 1996
Women artists: an historical, contemporary and feminist bibliography. N 8354 Z923 1994
Women artists in the United States: a selective bibliography and resource guide on the fine and decorative arts, 1750-1986.
N 6536 Z982 1990

artlibraries.net "is an international specialized meta catalogue ... which conducts a simultaneous search in a number of web catalogues" for major art institutions, including the National Gallery of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, The Canadian Centre for Architecture

Timeline of Art History: Covers art from around the world, from prehistory to the present.

Last Modified: 2010-02-07