Research guides: Art History: Important Libraries for Art History

Important Libraries for Art History

As you progress as an Art History student, you might need to look beyond the University of Toronto for information on your topic. Here is a selection of some of the best libraries for researching Art History. Most of these have digitized parts of their collection. Your faculty member or your subject specialist librarian can also recommend other suitable institutions.

Worldcat
WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. lets you search the collections of both public and academic libraries in your community and thousands more around the world.
KUBIKAT
Kubikat is the collective catalogue of four of the leading German scholarly research institutes in the field of art history:
Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, Max-Planck-Institut (www.khi.fi.it)
Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich (www.zikg.eu), funded by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst
Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte / Centre allemand d'histoire de l'art in Paris (www.dt-forum.org), funded by Max Weber Stiftung - Foundation of German Humanities Institutes Abroad Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte in Rome (www.biblhertz.it).
Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican Library)
Formally established in 1475, although it is much older, it is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. It has 75,000 codices from throughout history,[2] as well as 1.1 million printed books, which include some 8,500 incunabula.
The Bibliothèque nationale de France
The BnF General Catalogue is the online catalogue containing the majority of references and documents conserved on all BnF sites.
Gallica – The BnF digital library
Gallica is one of the major digital libraries available for free via the Internet. It provides access to any type of document: printed documents (books, press and magazines) in image and text mode, manuscripts, sound and iconographic documents, maps and plans. Gallica is intended to all readers, whether users just having a look, booklovers, students or academics.
The Courthauld Institute of Art - Book Library
The Book Library is one of the major international research collections of art historical books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues in England.
The National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum
The National Art Library is the UK's most comprehensive public reference collection of literature on the fine and decorative arts, including books, journals, exhibition catalogues, auction house sales catalogues, comics, e-resources and much more.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Thomas J. Watson Library
With over one million volumes, an extensive digital collection, and online resources, Thomas J. Watson Library is one of the world's most comprehensive art libraries. Explore Watson Library and the Met’s specialized collections.
The Museum of Modern Art's DADAbase
The Museum of Modern Art Library is a comprehensive collection devoted to modern and contemporary art. The noncirculating collection documents painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, architecture, design, performance, video, film, and emerging art forms from 1880 to the present (from 1830 for photography). The Library’s holdings include approximately 300,000 books and exhibition catalogs, over 1,000 periodical titles, and over 40,000 files of ephemera about individual artists and groups. DADABASE is the catalogue of The Museum of Modern Art Library and Study Centers. DADABASE includes records for all material in the Library, including books, periodical titles, exhibition catalogues, pamphlet files, artists’ books, special collections materials, and electronic resources. Primary source collections are held by the Museum Archives, a separate department. The Library is a founding member of the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC).
Classical Art Research Centre
From Oxford University, the Classical Art Research Centre leads and supports research on ancient art. At its heart is the Beazley Archive, which includes the world's largest collection of images of ancient figure-decorated pottery. The Beazley Archive's online databases and our other web resources are freely available through this site.

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