REFERENCE BOOKS ON ARTISTS

Dictionary of Artists / Benezit
Saur Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon
Thieme, U. and F. Becker. Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart
International Dictionary of Art and Artists

The first three titles are large multivolume sets; they are the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionaries of artists. Many obscure artists who are not included in other encyclopedias can be found in them. The International Dictionary of Art and Artists covers far fewer artists; however, its second volume, which contains one-page articles on individual works of art, can help you get a good start researching specific art works.

 

Nineteenth-Century Painters and Painting: A Dictionary 

This one-volume encyclopedia concentrates on European and American painters of the nineteenth century. It is especially useful for its articles on, and reproductions of representative paintings by, lesser-known artists.

 

Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975 

This book contains brief articles on deceased artists from 400 years of American art.

 

Biographical Dictionary of Women Artists in Europe and America since 1850
Dictionary of Women Artists 

These books provide an excellent start when doing research on women artists in a wide variety of media. The second one offers substantial articles on women artists from the Middle Ages to the present day.

 

Modern Arts Criticism

This four-volume set gathers together critical commentary by leading art historians about some of the major painters, sculptors, photographers, and architects active since the mid-nineteenth century.