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Art history



Starting point for Art history

Starting point contains definitions, facts, figures and overviews

Key online dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks

ArtlexArtlex contains definitions for more than 3,600 terms

Key print dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks

Use the catalogue to search for more dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks


Catalogue searching

You can search the Library Catalogue to find books, DVDs, journals and other materials

If you know the exact title in the New catalogue

If you are searching for a topic in the New catalogue

Truncation is generally not needed as entering any version of a word will retrieve many variations.

More information


Databases and journal articles for Art history

Use databases to search for journal articles, book chapters, conference papers or research reports

Key databases for Art history

Databases Notes Help
Art AbstractsProvides abstracting and indexing for over 400 international art publications, including periodicals, conference proceedings, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Help and tips are available from the Art Abstracts search screen and the EbscoHost Database Guide
JSTORProvides full text of the core scholarly journals in the arts and sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of the current publication. Use advanced search to browse by journal title or discipline.Help and tips are available from the JSTOR search screen.
Art Bibliographies ModernProvides abstracting and indexing of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews. The database covers the period from Impressionism in the late 19th century up to the most recent works and trends of the late 20th century. Photography is covered from its invention in 1839 to the present.Help and tips are available from the CSA art Bibliographies Modern search screen and the CSA Quick guide.
Grove Art onlineProvides access to over 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts from prehistory through the present including biographies; bibliographies; external images; contributors; caption keywords. Also includes access to over 100,000 images from the Bridgeman Art Library.Help and tips are available from the Grove Art online search screen.

Complete list of Art databases. Also check the multidisciplinary databases as they cover a wide range of academic topics. You can select other subjects from the database subject list


Full text not available?

When the full text is not available, search for the journal title in the Library catalogue to discover if print or online copies are available

Database search tips

For help with searching databases see Connecting and Combining Search Terms or Truncation/Wildcards/Phrase searching: Basic or Online training or Ask the Library


Key internet sites for Art history

It is important to critically evaluate all information you find particularly information found on the web.

This is a starting list of internet sites. You may want to do your own searches using search engines

Useful starters

Professional organisations

  • College Art Association Promotes excellence in scholarship and teaching in the history and criticism of the visual arts.

Specialised websites

  • ArtServe : art and architecture This site offers access to around 80,000 images, all concerned in some way with the history of art and architecture. Department of Art History & Visual Studies at the Australian National University, Australia.
  • Medieval art history directory Links to specialist information and images of the paintings, sculptures, books and manuscripts which were created during the middle ages. Also included on this site is a range of information relating to just a few of the many forms of art, characteristic of the medieval period


For further information about any of these resources please contact the Ask the Library service or ask at the library desk

Coordinated by: EASS Academic Library Services Team