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Fine and Decorative Arts

Librarian for Fine and Decorative Arts

Tom McNulty
Librarian for Art, Architecture, Design, and Museum Studies
New York University
Bobst Library, Mezzanine
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2519
E-mail: tom.mcnulty@nyu.edu

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Consortium and Other Art Libraries

As members of the NYU community, you can use the following art/architecture/design libraries; their holdings are included in BobCat:

Other New York City Art, Architecture and Design Libraries Available to NYU Researchers:

NYU is a member of the METRO, a consortium of 270 local and regional libraries. Researchers may consult the holdings of METRO libraries by requesting a METRO Referral Card at any Bobst Library Reference Desk (1st, 6th, 9th floors). Consult METRO’s Directory for a complete list of participating libraries.

Fine Arts - Indexes

See also Humanities Indexes and Abstracts.

Fine Arts - Handbooks

  • Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. 6th ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 20005.
    Bobst REF1 N7476 .B37 2000
    Standard guide for the beginning student of aesthetics and art history, with sections on analysis of art objects, writing essays and preparing research papers.
  • Jones, Lois Swan. Art Information: Research Methods and Resources. 3rd ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1990.
    Bobst REF1 N85 .J64 1990
    For beginning or advanced researchers, provides a good general overview of the research process. Annotated bibliography of reference sources, arranged by broad subject, follows the lengthy essay on art research methodology.
  • Kleinbauer, W. Eugene and Thomas P. Slavens. Research Guide To The History of Western Art. Chicago: American Library Association, 1982
    Bobst REF1 N380 .K56 1982
    Surveys various approaches to the study of fine arts with discussion of key resources in related disciplines as well as general reference works.

Fine Arts - Bibliographies

  • Arntzen, Etta and Robert Rainwater. Guide to the Literature of Art History. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980.
    Bobst REF1 Z5931 .A67
    For the advanced researcher, this major work describes over 4,000 items with an emphasis on works in the western languages. See Chamberlain (below) for earlier resources.
  • Chamberlain, Mary W. Guide to Art Reference Books. Chicago: American Library Association, 1959.
    Bobst REF1 Z5931 .C45
    While dated, Chamberlain's Guide is an essential work for the advanced researcher. Provides annotated bibliography to some 2,500 standard resources.
  • Ehresmann, Donald L. Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories and Handbooks. 2nd ed. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1979.
    Bobst REF1 Z5931 .E47 1990
    Provides descriptive annotations to over 1,650 reference works, histories and handbooks.

Fine Arts - Biography and Signature Reference Tools

  • Artist Biographies Master Index. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1986.
    Bobst REF1 N40 .A78 1986
    Indexes a number of English language biographical sources.
  • Caplan, H.H. The Classified Directory of Artists Signatures, Symbols & Monograms with new U.K. Additions. London: Paul Grahame Publishing Co., 1987.
    Bobst REF1 N45 .C36 1987
    Alphabetical list of European and American artists' signatures. In addition to the artist's signature, each entry provides birth and death dates as well as artists' major genre and materials.
  • Castagno, John. Artists' Monograms and Indiscernible Signatures: An International Directory, 1800-1991. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, Inc. 1991.
    Bobst REF1 N45 .C374 1991
    Alphabetical listing of artists with examples of their signatures, monograms and marks.
  • Castagno, John. European Artists: Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1990. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, Inc. 1990.
    Bobst REF1 N45 .C38 1990
    Alphabetical listing of artists; supplements include Monograms, Illegible signatures, Cyrillic and Greek Signatures, and Chinese/Japanese Signatures.
  • Contemporary Artists. Chicago/London: St. James Press. (latest edition only).
    Bobst REF1 N6490 .C6567
    In addition to biographies, includes lists of exhibitions and publications by and about artists. Illustrated.
  • Havlice, Patricia Pate. Index to Artistic Biography. 3 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973. Supplement: 1981.
    Bobst REF1 N40 .H38
    Index by artist's name indicates source of biographical information. Considered a supplement to Mallett's Index of Artists (1935 & 1940).

Fine Arts - Surveys and Encyclopedias

  • Aronson, H. Harvard. History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. 3rd ed. Rev. and updated by Daniel Wheeler. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall / New York: H.N. Abrams, 1986.
    Bobst N6490 .A713 1997
    Well-known survey of 19th and 20th century art.
  • Dictionary of Art. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 1996. 34 vols.
    Bobst REF1 N31 .D5 1996
    URL: http://library.nyu.edu/collections/find_articles_title.html
    Excellent survey of fine and decorative arts, particularly strong in coverage of non-western cultures. Also available on BobstWeb.
  • Encyclopedia of American Art. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981.
    Bobst REF1 N6505 .B73
    Excellent overview of American fine and decorative arts. Includes good basic biographies as well as brief histories of major manufacturers of decorative arts objects.
  • Encyclopedia of World Art. 16 vols. New York: McGraw Hill, 1959.
    Bobst REF1 N31 .E533
    Lengthy, signed essays with bibliographies on artists, movements, individual works, etc. Well illustrated, some color. Volume 15 (Index) provides citations to the other 14 volumes.
  • Hamilton, George Heard. Painting and Sculpture in Europe: 1880 to 1940. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
    Bobst N6757.5.M63 H36 1993
    Substantial biographies of leading artists are presented, beginning with late Impressionists. Major movements, e.g., fauvism, cubism, etc., are presented and illustrated with examples of major representative works.
  • Tansey, Richard G. and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 12th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2005.
    Bobst N5300 .G25 2004
    Standard textbook, covers history of art from prehistoric periods through present day. Emphasis on Western art and architecture.

Fine Arts - Iconography and Symbolism

  • Ferguson, George. Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1961.
    Bobst N7830.F37
    Arranged by topic, with illustrations from Renaissance paintings.
  • Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. New York: Harper and Row, 1974.
    Bobst REF1 N7560 .H34x 1974
    Describes themes and symbols dominant in Western art, with reference to their sources in literature.
  • Jobes, Gertrude. Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols. 3 vols. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1961.
    NSSR Reference GR35.J6
    Covers many different cultures from ancient times to the present. Vol. 3 has the subject index to themes, and vol. 2 has the bibliography.

Decorative Arts - Bibliographies

  • Ames, Kenneth L. and Gerald W.R. Ward. Decorative Arts and Household Furnishing in America 1650-1920: An Annotated Bibliography. Winterthur, DE: The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1989.
    Bobst REF1 Z5956.D3 D43 1989
    Annotated bibliography of books, articles, and exhibition catalogs arranged by decorative arts category. Essays by leading historians of American decorative arts introduce each section.
  • De Winter, Patrick. European Decorative Arts 1400-1600. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1988.
    Bobst REF1 Z5956.D3 D38 1988
    Provides brief annotations to over 2,200 references to selected published material dealing with the various types of furnishings made for the church, the palace, and the home, as well as objects of personal adornment, from the late Gothic and Renaissance Periods.
  • Ehresmann, Donald L. Applied and Decorative Arts: A Bibliographic Guide. 2nd ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1992.
    Bobst REF1 Z5956.A68 E47
    Classified, annotated bibliography to over 2,500 titles in the decorative arts, with an emphasis on English language materials. Includes exhibition and museum catalogs.
  • Sokol, David M. American Decorative Arts and Old World Influences. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1980.
    Bobst REF1 Z5956.A68 S66
    Classified bibliography of books, journals and other documents relevant to the study of ceramics, furniture, crafts and the other decorative arts in America.

Decorative Arts - Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

  • Aronson, Joseph. The Encyclopedia of Furniture. New York: Crown Publishers, 1965.
    Bobst REF1 NK2205.A7 1965
    Standard reference work on furniture of all periods and countries of origin. Some entries include black and white photographic illustrations.
  • Byars, Mel. The Design Encyclopedia. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004
    Bobst REF1 NK1370 .B93 2004
    Excellent resource for the study of individual designers and design movements of the late 19th century through the present.
  • Encyclopedie des Arts Decoratifs et Industries Modernes au XXeme Siecle, Vol. 1-12. New York: Garland. 1977.
    Bobst NK520.F8 P36 1977
    Reprint of the edition published by Impr. Nationale, Office Central d'Editions et de Librarie, Paris, n.d. This twelve volume encyclopedia documents the Paris Exhibition of 1925. Includes many photographs of individual works of art, architectural structures and plans, objets d'art (glass, ceramics, etc.).
  • Fleming, John and Hugh Honour. Dictionary of the Decorative Arts. London: Viking, 1989.
    Bobst REF1 NK30.F54x 1989
    General reference source comprised of: definitions of stylistic and technical terms; materials and processes of working and embellishing them; biographies of leading craftsmen and designers, and brief histories of the more notable factories in which objects for household use and decoration have been made.
  • Hiesinger, Kathryn B. and George H. Marcus. Landmarks of Twentieth Century Design: An Illustrated Handbook. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993.
    Bobst REF1 NK1390 .H44 1993
    Substantive chapters describe and richly illustrate 20th century designers' works. Includes a separate section of designers' biographies, as well as an exhaustive subject, designer and title index.
  • Honour, Hugh. Cabinet Makers and Furniture Designers. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969.
    Bobst REF1 NK2350 .H6 1969
    Provides lengthy biographical essays, richly illustrated with examples of major designers' works from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Emphasis on European designers of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
  • Osborne, Harold. The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts. London: Oxford University Press, 1985.
    Bobst REF1 NK30. O93 1985
    Brief essays on all aspects of the decorative arts, from classical Greek and Roman through the present era. Includes very brief biographies of major ceramists, jewelers, designers, etc.

Museum Catalogs

  • Barnett, Vivian Endicott. Handbook, the Guggenheim Museum Collection, 1900-1980. 2nd printing, rev. New York: The Museum, 1984.
    Bobst N6487.N4 S6386 1984 Non-circulating
  • Descriptive Catalogue of Painting and Sculpture in the National Museum of American Art. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1983.
    Bobst N857 .A614 1983 Non-circulating
  • Hibbard, Howard. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Harrison House, 1986.
    Bobst N610 .H52 1986
  • Mann, Vivian B. and Emily D. Bilski. The Jewish Museum New York. New York: the Jewish Museum in association with Scala Books, 1993.
    Bobst N620.J48 M36 1993 Non-circulating
  • Museum of Modern Art, New York: The History and Collection. New York: H.N. Abrams in association with the Museum, 1984.
    Bobst N620.M9 A85 1984 Non-circulating
  • Sims, Patterson. Whitney Museum of American Art: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection. New York: The Museum in association with W.W. Norton, 1985.
    Bobst N618.A53 1985
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