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Modern Art Resources
Information on Modern Art can be found in many places in the library, such as art books or history texts that discuss art and artists.
To find resources on Modern Art,
- Use a General Search of our collection for books, articles, videos, and more.
- Or try a specialized journal database to find scholarly articles.
Here are some examples of basic search terms you can use to start out:
- modern art
- Bilbao
- Duchamp
Find more information in the reference works and website links on this page.
Online Reference Sources
North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary by Call Number: View Ebook Reference N6503 .N67 1995The descriptions are short but numerous. The online version is a convenient way to get quick information on particular artists.
Websites
- Terra Foundation for American ArtThe Terra Foundation, begun in Chicago in the 1970s and extending around the world, has a great online collection of American art. The collection includes nearly 800 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures spanning the colonial period to 1945.
- the artists.orgBiographical information, pictures, and links about twentieth- and twenty-first century artists. Recently redesigned and under Amazon ownership.
- MoMA Exhibition HistoryAn online archive of the renowned Museum of Modern Art's exhibits, starting with its founding in 1929.
Print Reference Sources
Art Index by Call Number: Reference NX 1 A77 1929-1998These print volumes index articles in international art journals and magazines from 1929 to 1998. Ask a librarian to show you how the index works. You can find a more up-to-date online version in the Art Full Text database.
Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists by Call Number: Reference N6512 .C854 1994This is a useful directory of American artists. Instead of descriptions, you'll find detailed listings of the artists' educations, teaching assignments, awards, exhibitions, memberships, and more. You'll even find their addresses (as of 1994, so they may not still be valid).
Dictionary of Women Artists by Call Number: Reference N8354 .D5 1997A great resource, with two- to three-page descriptions of most artists. For general surveys of 20th century artists, go to Volume 1. You'll also find a chronological list of artists, plus general and artist-specific bibliographies.
Dictionary of American Art by Call Number: Reference N6505.B34 1979A useful compendium of biographical entries on American artists, as well as general articles on specific topics.
American Artists: An Illustrated Survey of Leading Contemporary Americans by Call Number: Reference N6512 .A578 1985Somewhat dated, but still a useful source for brief descriptions of 20th-century American artists.- Modern Arts Criticism: A Biographical and Critical Guide to Painters, Sculptors, Photographers, and Architects from the Beginning of the Modern Era to the Present by Call Number: Reference N40 .M63 v.1-4Presenting biographical background and excerpted critical assessments of important visual artists from the late 19th century to the present, Modern Arts Criticism should be of interest to teachers and students of art, art history, design, photography, the humanities, and architecture. The book brings together critical essays from books and periodicals and presents them in one convenient source.
