Art History Bibliography and Library Methods

Art Biographical Reference Sources

ART 600

GENERAL

1. Thieme, U. & F. Becker. Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart (Thieme-Becker) (1950) 37 v. N40.T4 Art reference

Extraordinarily comprehensive. Covers artists and architects of all kinds from antiquity to the late 19th c. Large amount of bibliographical data appended to the biographical entries. (In fact, it's the best place to start looking for bibliographical references on obscure artists.) Alphabetical sequence of entries sometimes difficult to follow: e.g. I's and J's interfile. Abbreviation somewhat severe, even for a German reference work. For help, see V. Meyer's Index of the most common German abbreviations used in Thieme-Becker, 1972 (same call number). About 25 volumes of a new, updated edition (1992- ; N40-A63-1992, Art reference) have appeared.

2. Vollmer, H. Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts (1962) 6 v. N40.T41 Art reference

Supplement to Thieme-Becker for 20th-c. artists. Covers artists and architects born after 1870. Same scholarly detail and attempt at comprehensiveness as main set.

3. Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs (Rev. ed., 1976) 10 v. N40.B47 1976 Art reference

Coverage not as thorough or scholarly as that of Thieme-Becker. Aimed at collectors rather than scholars. Doesn't cover architects. Typical entry includes list of the artist's works owned by public collections and a chronological survey of prices they have fetched at auction. Occasionally includes a facsimile of the artist's signature or monogram.

4. Contemporary artists (4th ed., 1996) N6490.C6567 1996 Art reference

Massive, thirteen-hundred page volume that covers about 800 artists, mostly living (in any case, none who died before 1965), and an attempt to cover those working in new media, video, and computer art. For each, supplies: paragraph of biographical information, chronological list of one-person shows, selective list of group shows, a bibliography of writing by the artist, and one of writing about him or her. The entry usually concludes with a summary statement by the artist and/or one by a critic. Some artists dropped from earlier editions, and new ones added. Well illustrated.

5. Hillstrom, Laurie Collier and Kevin Hillstrom. Contemporary Women Artists. (1999). N8354 .C66 1999 Art reference.

Massive, with biographical and career information on more than 350 of the world's most prominent and influential women artists of the 20th century. Follows the same format as Contemporary Artists (above). Also includes a medium and nationality index, a bibliography, and many black-and-white illustrations.

6. Gowing, Sir Lawrence, ed. A biographical dictionary of artists. (1995) N40 .B53 1995 Art reference.

Covers major western artists throughout history. Some entries have recommendations for further reading. Many illustrations. Name and subject index and a glossary of terms.

7. Petteys, C., ed. Dictionary of women artists: an international dictionary of women artists born before 1900 (1985) N43.P47 1985 Art reference

Covers over 21,000 painters, printmakers, illustrators, and sculptors. Brief entries usually conclude with some bibliographic data.

8. Farris, Phoebe. Women artists of color: a bio-critical sourcebook to 20th century artists in the Americas. (1999). N8354 .W656 1999 Art reference

Covers African American, Asian Pacific American, Latin American, and Native American artists. Over 100 profiled. Information per artist includes selected exhibitions, publications, artists' statements, biographical essays. Also includes a list of cultural resources (mostly organizations) and an index.

back to top

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES

9. Artist biographies master index (1986) N40.A78 1986 Art reference

10. Busse, J. Internationales Handbuch aller Maler und Bildhauer des 19. Jahrhunderts (Busse-Verzeichnis) (1977) N6450.B85 Art reference

11. Havlice, P. Index to artistic biography (1974) 2 v. First supplement (1981) N40.H38 Art reference

12. Mallett, D. Mallett's index of artists: international and biographical (1935) Supplement (1940) N40.M3 1948 Art reference

Not biographical dictionaries themselves, but indexes that tell you if an artist is included in one or more of a whole range of biographical dictionaries. Saves time, especially with the more obscure artists for whom you might otherwise have to check a number of different biographical dictionaries before you found anything on them. Artist biographies master index covers only English-language sources. Busse includes only European and American artists who worked in the 19th c.

PAINTERS

13. Aeschlimann, E. & P. d'Ancona. Dictionnaire des miniaturistes du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance (1949) ND1330.A4 1949 Art stacks

Uses the term "miniaturistes" to mean illuminators of medieval manuscripts.

14. Bradley, J. A dictionary of miniaturists, illuminators, calligraphers, and copyists (1889) 3 v. ND2890.B83 Art reference

Covers illuminators of medieval manuscripts, 16th-18th-c. painters of "miniatures" (e.g. Jean Clouet, Nicholas Hilliard), and also throws in copyists, calligraphers, and patrons.

15. Bryan, M. Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers (1903) 5 v. N40.B94 1903 Art reference

16. Champlin, J. & C. Perkins. Cyclopedia of painters and paintings (1887) 4 v. ND30.C4 1892 Art reference

19th-c. non-scholarly works that cover European, and a few American, painters and printmakers. Champlin & Perkins includes some entries for famous pictures under their titles (translated into English where necessary), and facsimiles of signatures and monograms.

17. Schidlof, L. The miniature in Europe in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries (1964) 4 v. ND1337.E9S3 Art reference

Covers "miniaturists," as in annotation to #13.

back to top

ILLUSTRATORS

18. Osterwalder, M., ed. Dictionnaire des illustrateurs, 1800-1914 (1983) NC961.6.O88 1983 Art reference

Covers European and American artists. For each gives small amount of biographical and bibliographical information and at least one representative illustration.

ARCHITECTS

19. Avery Architectural Library, New York. Avery obituary index of architects and artists. (2nd ed., 1980) Z5941.C643 Art reference

Indexes the obituaries in newspapers and journals of architects, and some artists and scholars. Goes back to the early 19th c. in the cases of some journals.

20. Contemporary architects (3rd ed., 1994) NA680.G625 1994 Art reference

Covers over 600 contemporary, or recently deceased, architects from all countries. Same format as #4, but instead of exhibitions lists buildings and projects.

21. Macmillan encyclopedia of architects (1982) 4 v. NA40.M25 1982 Art reference

Major scholarly reference work that includes architects from all geographic areas and periods, with selective lists of their works and much bibliography. Two useful indexes in v. 4: name index, which includes those architects not having their own entries, and buildings index.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

22. Auer, M. Encyclopédie internationale des photographes de 1839 à nos jours (1985) 2 v. TR139.A94 1985 Art reference

For each photographer: brief biographical information, selective list of one-person and group shows, some bibliographical data, and one or two representative photographs.

23. Browne, T. & E. Partnow. Macmillan biographical encyclopedia of photographic artists and innovators (1983) TR139.B767 1983 Art reference

Concise biographies of critics, curators, and historians as well as photographers. Includes bibliographical data.

24. Contemporary photographers (3rd ed., 1995) TR139.C664 1995 Art reference

Same format as #4.

back to top

AUSTRIA

25. Fuchs, H. Die österreichischen Maler des 19. Jahrhunderts (1974) 4 v. ND507.F82 Art stacks

Articles not very substantive, but covers some very obscure painters. Heavily illustrated. Monogram and signature facsimiles.

CANADA

26. Harper, J. Early painters and engravers in Canada (1970) N6548.H37 Art stacks

27. MacDonald, C. A dictionary of Canadian artists (1967- ) N6548.M28 Art stacks

Complementary. Harper covers only artists born before 1867, the year of Canadian confederation, while MacDonald (complete through the M's) treats late 19th and 20th-c. artists, including sculptors.

CHINA

28. Chu pien Lei Cheng-min; Fu chu pien Wang A-min; Chuan kao jen Wang T‘ien-jung ... Chung-kuo hsien tai mei shu chia jen ming ta tz‘u tien = A great biographic dictionary of Chinese artists. (1989) ND1048 .C938 1989 Art stacks

ENGLAND

---

29. Colvin, H. A biographical dictionary of English architects, 1660-1840 (3rd ed., 1995) NA996.C6 1995 Art reference

Well-respected scholarly work with relatively lengthy entries and lists of buildings for the more important architects. Useful feature is the building index at the end, which is arranged topographically.

30. Dictionary of national biography (1909) 22 v. DA28.D4 General Ref.

Includes lengthy articles on quite a few artists, and also auxiliary art world figures such as patrons, dealers, and scholars.

31. Fisher, S. A dictionary of watercolour painters, 1750-1900 (1972) ND1928.F54 Art reference

32. Grant, M. A dictionary of British landscape painters from the 16th century to the early 20th century (1952) ND1354.G72 Art reference

33. Gunnis, R. Dictionary of British sculptors, 1660-1851 (rev. ed., 1968) NB496.G85 1968 Art stacks

Like Colvin (#29), a well-known and respected source with good lists of works by major figures and helpful indexes at the end to names and places mentioned in the entries.

34. Houfe, S. The dictionary of British book illustrators and caricaturists, 1800-1914 (2nd ed., 1981) NC978.H68 1981 Art reference

First half is a monograph on British book illustration of the period; last 300 pp. is a biographical dictionary of the artists, listing books and periodicals that they illustrated.

35. Mallalieu, H. The dictionary of British watercolour artists up to 1920 (1979) 2 v. ND1928.M27 Art reference

36. Redgrave, S. A dictionary of artists of the English school (1878) N6796.R45 1878 Art reference

Old and not very good, but often cited since it had the field to itself for many years. Includes painters, printmakers, sculptors, and architects.

37. Strickland, W. A dictionary of Irish artists (1913) 2 v. N6782.S7 1969 Art reference

Irish painters, printmakers, and sculptors--no architects.

38. Waters, G. Dictionary of British artists working 1900-1950 (1975) N6768.W26 Art reference

Covers painters, printmakers, and sculptors.

39. Wood, C. Dictionary of Victorian painters (2nd ed., 1978) ND35.W6 1978 Art reference

Covers painters who worked at some point during Victoria's reign (1837-1901). Tries to provide some minimal bibliographical data for each.

back to top

 

FRANCE

40. Bellier de la Chavignerie, E. & L. Auvray. Dictionnaire général des artistes de l'école française (Bellier-Auvray) (1887) 5 v. N6852.B4 1979 Art reference

Covers French painters, printmakers, sculptors, and architects from the medieval period to the late 19th c. Biographical information brief; most important feature is its lists of artists' works, with an indication for each work that was exhibited at the Paris Salon, from its beginnings in 1673 to about 1880. Thus, this reference source acts as an artist index to the Salon livrets (catalogs), N5066-A5 Art locked stacks. Also, sometimes supplies important provenance or other incidental information about specific works. Entries on artists of the same family follow each other chronologically, not alphabetically by first name.

41. Edouard-Joseph, R. Dictionnaire biographique des artistes contemporains, 1910-1930 (1936) 4 v. N40.E4 Art reference

Covers a brief but important chronological period. Includes not only French artists but also foreign artists working in France.

42. Lami, S. Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'école française (1921) 8 v. NB552.L25 Art reference

Covers medieval period through the 19th c. Provides useful lists of sculptors' works that include references to the Paris Salons in which individual pieces were exhibited. Includes good, though old, bibliographical data. Useful subject access to 19th-c. French sculpture provided by H. Janson's An iconographic index to S. Lami's Dictionnaire, 1983 (NB552-L333J36-1983, Art stacks), which indexes by title the works mentioned in Lami's volumes covering the 19th c.

GERMANY

43. Boetticher, F. von. Malerwerke des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte (1901) 2 v. in 4. ND567.B6 1944 Art stacks

Covers 19th-c. German painters, as well as foreign painters who lived and worked in Germany in the 19th c., and foreign painters whose work was held in German collections or exhibited in Germany in the 19th c. Includes many obscure figures. Contains useful lists for each artist of paintings, drawings, and prints with variable information, sometimes including location, dimensions, and a citation to an illustration.

ITALY

44. Dizionario enciclopedico Bolaffi dei pittori e degli incisori italiani (1976) 11 v. N6922.D59 Art reference

Covers Italian painters and printmakers from the 13th to the 20th cs. Brief entries provide some bibliographic data and sometimes auction price information. Many b & w illustrations; some color plates.

45. Comanducci, A. Dizionario illustrato dei pittori, disegnatori e incisori italiani moderni e contemporanei (1974) 5 v. N6922.C65 Art reference

Italian painters and printmakers of the 19th and 20th cs. Brief biographical entries, each with some bibliography. Many color and b & w illustrations.

back to top

JAPAN

46. Roberts, L. A dictionary of Japanese artists (1976) N7358.R6 Art reference

Covers painters, printmakers, sculptors, and decorative artists from the 14th c. to the 20th, where only artists who died before 1972 are included. Useful alternate name index, which helps track artists by providing access through their pseudonyms.

47. Tazawa, Yutaka, editor. Biographical dictionary of Japanese art. (1981) N7358 .B55 Art reference

Organized by medium which includes fine arts and so-called minor arts and crafts. Covers artists from the 1st through the 20th century.

NETHERLAND

48. Wurzbach, A. Niederländisches Künstler Lexikon (1911) 3 v.
N6952.W85 1963 Art reference

Important scholarly work which covers painters, printmakers, and some sculptors from the 15th c. into the 19th. Entries for major figures conclude with helpful, widely-cited lists of their works, usually arranged alphabetically by location (whether public or private collection). Not only are titles of works listed, but also information about them, such as whether they were dated or signed, or what the birth and death dates and occupations of the subjects of portraits were. Also provided are separate lists of prints by an artist or after an artist's work, in the latter case supplying information about who did the engraving and who did the printing. Alphabetization potentially confusing: names beginning with I, J, or Y are all thrown together, as are those beginning with C or K.

NORTH AMERICA

49. Heller, J. & N. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary (1995) N6503.N67 1995 Art reference

Covers women artists of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Substantial articles and bibliographies by specialist contributors.

SWITZERLAND

50. Brun, C. Schweizerisches Künstler Lexikon (1917) 4 v. N7152.B74 1967 Art reference

Scholarly entries on painters, printmakers, sculptors, and architects, as well as decorative artists from about the 14th c. through the 19th. Provides lists of works and bibliographic data for the more important figures. V.4 is a supplement containing new information gathered since the set was begun.

51. Plüss, E. & H. von Tavel. Künstler Lexikon der Schweiz: XX. Jahrhundert (1967) 2 v. N7152.P54 1974 Art reference

Updates Brun (#50) into the 20th c.

back to top

UNITED STATES

52. Cummings, P. Dictionary of contemporary American artists (6th ed., 1994) N6536.C854 1994 Art reference

Brief entries on about 800 20th c. American artists, mostly living, with information on where they studied, where they taught, where they live, the exhibitions they've had, who owns their work, and some bibliography.

53. Falk, P., ed. Who was who in American art (1985) N6512.F26 1985 Art reference

Collects, and makes accessible in one alphabetical sequence, the brief biographical entries for American artists that were published between 1898 and 1947 in the American art annual.

54. Fielding, M. Dictionary of American painters, sculptors and engravers (rev. ed., 1983) N6536.F5 1983 Art reference

Gives brief biographical information on about 8000 American artists from the Colonial period into the 20th c. Includes painters, printmakers, sculptors, but no architects or decorative artists.

55. Groce, G. & D. Wallace. The New-York Historical Society's dictionary of artists in America, 1564-1860 (1957) N6536.N4 Art reference

Covers about 10,000 American artists active before 1860. Like Fielding (#54), includes painters, printmakers, and sculptors, but no architects or decorative artists. However, coverage of obscure figures is better than Fielding's and many entries conclude with some bibliographical data.

56. ProFile: the official directory of the American Institute of Architects (1978- ) NA53.P7 Art reference

Topographically-arranged directory of U.S. architectural firms, giving names of principal architects and other basic information.

57. Watson-Jones, V. Contemporary American women sculptors (1986) NB212.W37 1986 Art reference

Covers over 300 living artists. Includes brief biographical information, selected exhibitions and collections, bibliographical data, and an illustration of a representative work.

58. Who's who in American art (1936/37- ) N6536.W5 Art reference

Brief entries for artists, scholars, museum personnel, dealers, and other art-world professionals.

59. Withey, H. Biographical dictionary of American architects (1956) NA736.W53 Art reference

Brief entries, often including some bibliographical data, for deceased American architects who were active at some point between 1740 and 1952. A very important reference work that includes many architects covered in no other readily available source.

ARTISTS' MONOGRAMS & SIGNATURES

60. Caplan, H. The classified directory of artists' signatures, symbols and monograms (rev. ed., 1982) N45.C36 1982 Art reference

Supplies signatures, not just monograms, although a selection of the latter is also included. Signature section is arranged alphabetically by artists' last names. Monograms are organized in standard fashion--alphabetically by the first letters of the monograms.

61. Nagler, G. Die Monogrammisten (1879) 6 v. N45.N2 1858a Art reference

Dictionary of artists' monograms with chronological coverage to about the middle of the 19th c. Arranged alphabetically by the first letters of the monograms. V.6 is an index to all the artists covered arranged alphabetically by their last names.

62. Goldstein, F. Monogrammlexikon: internationales Verzeichnis der Monogramme bildender Künstler seit 1850 (1964) N45.G6 Art reference

Takes up chronologically about where Nagler (#61) leaves off.

63. Self, James and Nobuko Hirose. Japanese art signatures: a handbook and practical guide. N55.J3 S44 1987 Art reference

Covers approximately 11,000 names of Japanese artists and craftspeople. Includes a lexicon of character variations, 300 facsimile signatures, various tables, and a special section on woodblock prints. All sections are cross-referenced.

64. Joint Board of Directors of the National Palace Museum and the National Central Museum. Signatures and seals on painting and calligraphy: the signatures and seals of artists, connoisseurs, and collectors on painting and calligraphy since Tsin dynasty. (1964) 2 of 6 vols. N7348 .K8 Art reference.

Volume I covers the Tsin to the Yuan Dynasty (265 - 1368 A.D.); volume II covers the Ming Dynasty (1368-1643 A.D.). Name, signature, seal indices.

back to top