Visual Arts: Artist Research

You may have been asked to select an artist from a list, or to find an artist on your own. Either way, pick someone you have a specific interest in, in terms of their artwork, their impact, their medium, their biography, or another related theme. Then do a little preliminary research before you settle on that artist, to make sure they are the one you want to continue to study. 

A quick Google search can get you some basic information. You can also try using the library: 

• search the online catalog 
• browse fine arts books in the library by call numbers starting with:
  • NA = architecture
  • NB = sculpture
  • NC = drawing, design, illustration
  • ND = painting
  • NE = print media
  • NK = decorative arts
  • TR = photography

• CC Search: Search for free content in the public domain and under Creative Commons licenses. Learn more about CC licenses here.
• Some major institutions provide free access to images of works in the public domain, for non-commercial use: 
  • Artstor provides free access to over 570 public collections
  • The British Library on Flickr
  • The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) *next to the search box be sure to check "Show public domain images only"
  • Open Access image search from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Open Content Archive from the Getty 
  • NGA Images from the National Gallery of Art
  • Paris Museums / Paris Musées
  • RijksStudio from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Circulation Desk: (312) 553-5760
Reference Desk: (312) 553-5784

Once you've decided on the artist you're going to research, make a plan. For general information: 

• search the library's online catalog by:
  • artist's name, title of work or body of works, etc.
  • keywords: brainstorm words that are related to your artist (medium, technique, style, etc.) Learn more about developing keywords here
  • link keywords using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search. Learn more about using Boolean operators here
• find out if the artist has a professional website
• visit galleries and/or museums (and their websites) where the artist has shown their work
• visit Wikipedia, blogs, etc., but beware! These can be unreliable; test the reliability by looking at the quality of a site, the author(s)/publisher of the information on the site, the last time the site was updated, if there are references listed, and/or if the information checks out with other sources. Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable resource for your assignment. Learn more about evaluating sources here

Self-portrait by Judith Leyster - AAHGrS6cvWhysw at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21996574

To find more information: 

• visit the artist's professional website 
• visit galleries and/or museums (and their websites) where the artist has shown their work. Many major museums are now publishing digital catalogues, like those in The Art Institute's digital publications
• use library databases (+ keywords and Boolean operators) to find scholarly journal articles, reviews, criticism, and other information (CCC log in required):
  • JSTOR
  • Academic Search Complete
  • New York Times (June 1980 - present)
  • Pop Culture Universe
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library
  • EBSCO eBooks
• use other reputable resources:
  • Art Journal Open "presents artists’ projects, conversations and interviews, scholarly essays, and other forms of content." AJO focuses on post-1945, emphasizing contemporary and web-based art
  • The Guggenheim Museum archive on Archive.org provides access to over 200 complete books
  • Hathi Trust Digital Library "(offers) a collection of millions of titles digitized from (academic & research institutions) around the world."
  • MetPublications provides access to "five decades of Met publications on art history, available to read, download, and/or search for free," including full-length books.

Always cite your sources! 

• Click here for information and guidelines on citations and plagiarism
• For a quick reference on MLA citations, visit the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) MLA guide