About primary sources for modern art
Primary sources are materials in a variety of formats that serve as original evidence documenting a time period, an event, a work, people, or ideas.*
For modern art they include artist's writings, interviews, correspondence, as well as sketches, photographs and the work of art itself.
* Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy. Developed by the ACRL RBMS1-SAA2Joint Task Force on the Development of Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy, 2018
Databases & Bibliographies
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ARTbibliographies MODERNIndexes 300+ journals published from 1969 to the present covering western European and North American art created in the late 19th century to the present. Also indexes exhibition catalogs, books and essays in books. Includes photography, the fine arts and new media but not architecture.
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Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) (1975-2007)Index to 1,200+ North American and European Journals covering Western Art from ca. 300 CE to present.
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Contemporary Artist's Index (Gund Library, Cleveland Institute of Art)Lists artists in all group show catalogs from 1991 - present in the Gund Library (Cleveland Institute of Art).
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International Bibliography of Art (2008 to date)Indexes 500 journals covering European art since antiquity, American art sincle the colonial period, and Global art since 1945. Preceded by the Bibliography of the History of Art.
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JSTORScholarly journal archive for the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences; current issues (usually the last 2-5 years) are not digitized by JSTOR and may be obtained elsewhere.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
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Dictionary of Twentieth-Century ArtCovers the painting, sculpture, and graphic art of all the major movements and styles of the twentieth-century. The context is covered as well, such as schools, galleries, exhibitions as well as the art market (collectors, critics, dealers and patrons) and techniques.
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Routledge encyclopedia of modernism
Interdisciplinary review of the Modernist period covering Literature, Architecture, Visual Arts, Music, Dance, Theatre, Film, and Intellectual Currents.
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Styles, Schools and Movements by ISBN: 9780500288443Publication Date: 2011Art in the modern era is defined by its styles, schools, and movements.
Essays, in rough chronological order, cover the late 19thc to the 21st, introducing the major developments in Western painting, sculpture, architecture, and design. A foldout timeline corresponds art with historical events. One hundred of the 300 essays include major international collections and suggestions for further reading. The 1,000+ artists, architects, designers, impresarios, critics, collectors, and champions of modern art mentioned in the essays are indexed.
Useful OBIS Subjects for finding primary sources
Select SUBJECT from the drop down menu and enter a heading:
Broad subjects:
Art, Modern 20th century
Modernism (Art)
Graphic Artists
Designers
Painters
Sculptors
Specific subjects:
African american artists
Asian American artists
Women painters
Women sculptors
Printmakers
Then look for the following sub-headings in the results:
Anecdotes
Bio-bibliography
Biography
Correspondence
Diaries
Homes and haunts
Interviews
Journals
Sources
Searching for artists in OBIS
Few books and articles about an artist?
Search for their name as a Keyword. For example, here's a Keyword search for Willie Cole
To reduce/remove irrelevant items limit to the location art library. For example, here's the Willie Cole search limited to the location art library
Lots of books and articles about an artist?
Search for their name as a Subject. For example, here's a Subject search for Mendietta, Ana
Need more? Increase your results with Keyword. For example, here's a Keyword search for Ana Mendietta
Too many results? Modify/Limit keyword results to the location art library. For example, here's the Keyword search for Ana Mendieta limited to the art library
Many books and articles about an artist?
For heavily researched artists -- like Marcel Duchamp -- search by subject and then look for subheadings for primary sources, such as Correspondence, Bio-bibliography, Anecdotes, Diaries, Homes and haunts, Interviews, Journals, Sources, etc.
Unsure?
Start with a Subject for the artist. Remember to "invert" the name: Smithson, Robert