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Research Guides

Art Writing: Genres, Methods, Theories and Resources

This guide is a starting point for locating and examining different genres and types of art writing.

What is a catalogue raisonné?

         

A catalogue raisonné is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known works of an artist either in a particular medium or all media.  They may provide some or all of the following:

  • Title and title variations
  • Dimension/Size
  • Date of the work
  • Medium
  • Current location/owner at time of publication
  • Provenance (history of ownership)
  • Exhibition history
  • Condition of the work
  • Bibliography/Literature that discusses the work
  • Essay(s) on the artist
  • Critical assessments and remarks
  • Full description of the work
  • Signatures, Inscriptions and Monograms of the artist
  • Reproduction of each work
  • List of works attributed, lost, destroyed and fakes
  • Catalog number

Other terms that may be used in place of catalogue raisonné are:  Oeuvre,  Catalogo Razonado, Catalogo Ragionato, Catalogo Generale, Opera Completa, Werkverzeichnis, Leben und Werk , Complete Works, Critical Catalogue.

SEARCHING for Catalogue Raisonnée

SEARCH IN IFAR, International Foundation of Art History database, Catalogues raisonnés.

SEARCH IN UTL FOR "Catalogue Raisonnée" in the TITLE FIELD and filter as needed (format, language, etc).

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