Hekman Library: Art and Art History: Find Background Info

Recommended Reference Sources

Oxford Art Online
Oxford Art Online is the gateway to Oxford’s art reference works, including the peer-reviewed, regularly updated Grove Dictionary of Art and the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. It includes reference articles on topics that span ancient to contemporary art and architecture, and also provides thousands of images of works of art, structures, plans, and artist signatures.

Note: There is a sign-in limit of three simultaneous users. This means that if three people are signed in at once, a fourth user will have to wait in line until at least one person signs out and a log-in becomes available.
In addition to the Grove Dictionary of Art and Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford Art Online also includes the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (2nd edition), The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Most reference articles provide extensive bibliographies and links to related resources. Other helpful features include learning resources such as subject guides, timelines, and resources for educators.

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History presents a thematic, chronological, and geographical exploration of global art history through The Met collection. Authored by The Met’s experts, the digital publication is a reference, research, and teaching tool conceived for students and scholars of art history. The Timeline currently comprises more than 1,000 essays, 8,000 works of art, 300 chronologies, and 3,700 keywords. It is regularly updated and enriched to provide new scholarship and insights on The Met collection.
Getty Vocabularies
From their intro: "Catherine wheel or rose window? Mona Lisa or La Gioconda? Gaochang or Qara-Hoja? The Getty Vocabularies contain structured terminology for art, architecture, decorative arts, archival materials, visual surrogates, conservation, and bibliographic materials." A helpful resource for searching more effectively for art and art history research.
Google Art Project
Museums large and small, classic and modern, world-renowned and community-based from over 40 countries have contributed more than 40,000 high-resolution images of works ranging from oil on canvas to sculpture and furniture.