TWENTIETH CENTURY ART

ENCYCLOPEDIAS OF ART HISTORY

The Dictionary of Art (Ref N 31 .D5 1996): Despite its title, this multivolume reference work is really an encyclopedia. Monumental in scope, it is the largest and most comprehensive reference work on the visual arts that has ever been published. Don't start any research on art without checking this source. It is also available online as Oxford Art Online.
Encyclopedia of World Art (Ref N 31 .E533): Although older than the encyclopedia above, this is still a useful and scholarly work. It is richly illustrated with thousands of color and black and white plates, which are all found together at the back of each volume.
Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art (Ref N 6490 .C53 1998)
Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Art (Ref N 6490 .O94): These books contain brief articles devoted exclusively to topics relating to world art of the 20th century.
Encyclopedia of Architecture: Design, Engineering, Construction (Ref NA 31 .E59 1988)
Encyclopedia of American Architecture (Ref NA 705 .P3 1995)
Encyclopedia of 20^th-Century Architecture (Ref NA 680 .E495 2004): The first of these encyclopedias is a multivolume work containing scholarly articles on all aspects of architecture. The second is a beautifully illustrated one-volume encyclopedia devoted to American architecture of all time periods, with strong coverage of the twentieth century. The third, a 3-volume set, treats world architecture of the twentieth century only. All three encyclopedias supplement in greater depth the information you can find on architecture in the general art encyclopedias.
Encyclopedia of Photography (Ref TR 9 .I24 1984)
The Photography Encyclopedia (Ref TR 9 .M39 1999)
Encyclopedie Internationale des Photographes de 1839 a Nos Jours / Photographers Encyclopaedia International 1839 to the Present (Ref TR 139 .A94 1985): These are excellent places to begin research on photography or photographers. The Encyclopedie, which is written in both French and English, provides useful chronologies and bibliographies and is a good place to start research on a particular photographer.
Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes (Ref NX 456 .K67 2000): This reference book offers articles on artists, techniques, and movements which were aesthetically innovative and forged new paths in artistic developments when they first appeared. Besides the visual arts, it also includes innovators in the fields of music, dance, theatre, and film.

REFERENCE BOOKS ON ARTISTS

Benezit, E. Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs (Ref N 40 .B46 1999): Saur Allgemeines Kunstler-Lexikon (Ref N 40 .S28 1992)
Thieme, U. and F. Becker. Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Kunstler (Ref N 49 .T4)
International Dictionary of Art and Artists (Ref N 7425 .I67 1990); Though in foreign languages, the first three are the most comprehensive dictionaries of artists: many obscure artists who are not included in other encyclopedias can be found here. The fourth book is in English, but it covers far fewer artists; its second volume contains one-page articles on individual works of art.
World Artists, 1950-1980 (Ref N 6489 .M37 1984)
World Artists, 1980-1990 (Ref N 6489 .W67 1991): These reference books provide useful introductions to the lives, work, and contributions of influential artists from around the world during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Contemporary Artists (Ref N 6490 .C6567 1996)
Contemporary Architects (Ref NA 680 .C625 1987)
Contemporary Photographers (Ref TR 139 .C664 1995): These books provide background on the lives and careers of the world's most prominent and influential artists who are still living or who have died in the recent past. Most articles are illustrated with a representative work by the artist.
Biographical Dictionary of Women Artists in Europe and America since 1850 (Ref N 6757 .D86 1989): Contemporary Women Artists (Ref N 8354 .C66 1999)
Dictionary of Women Artists (Ref N 8354 .D53 1997)
North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century (Ref N 6503 .N67 1995); These books provide an excellent start when doing research on women artists in a wide variety of media. The second is devoted to twentieth-century artists only, while the third offers substantial articles on women artists from the Middle Ages to the present day. The fourth contains articles on twentieth-century women artists from Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Who's Who in American Art (Ref N 6536 .W5)
Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975 (Ref N 6536 .W56 1999)
Dictionary of British Art, Vol. VI: 20^th Century Painters and Sculptors (Ref N 6796 .D53 1990 vol. 6): The first book, which is issued every two years, provides directory information for thousands of living American artists, while the second contains brief articles on deceased artists from 400 years of American art. The third provides similar brief information for British artists of the twentieth century.
Makers of 20^th Century Modern Architecture: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook (Ref NA 680 .J628 1997): This book provides insightful articles on architects who have significantly influenced the course of modern Western architecture.
Modern Arts Criticism (Ref N 6350 .M63): This four-volume set gathers together critical commentary by leading art historians about some of the major painters, sculptors, photographers, and architects active since the mid-nineteenth century.

SCHOLARLY INDEXES

Art Index, 1929-: If you do not already know this source - get with it! This is the basic index to journal articles since 1929 in the field of art. Once you are ready to start looking for journal articles on your subject, you should always look here first.
BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art), 1973-: This database covers the literature of art more broadly than Art Index, including books, exhibition catalogs, conference proceedings, and articles in journals published throughout the world. (You'll find out about lots of publications in foreign languages here, as well as in English!)
Artbibliographies Modern, 1974-: This database indexes and abstracts journal articles, books, exhibition catalogs, and other publications on modern art (since Impressionism in the late 19^thcentury) and on photography (since its invention in 1839).

This page created by Leanna Goodwater, University Library, Santa Clara University.
Last updated August 6, 2008.