Art and Architecture Collection > Art History: A Research Guide

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Comprehensive art encyclopedias seem to come at thirty-year intervals. The most recent venture, The Dictionary of Art, replaces the old Encyclopedia of World Art (1967), which was rigidly Eurocentric and had little information on non-Western art. Art historical investigation has generated vast amounts of specialized dictionaries. The following titles represent some of the best-known reference sources, and are representative of the wealth of subject-specific research tools currently available.

The Dictionary of Art. Edited By Jane Turner. London: Macmillan, 1996. 34 vol. (index in vol. 34)
A massive undertaking, this tool is more politically correct in coverage, and utilizes the many methodologies in usage since the 1970s. Excellent biographical entries. Available online through the Library’s Selected Electronic Resources.

Atkins, Robert. ArtSpeak: A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords. New York: Abbeville Press, 1990.
Demystifies current art lingo in scholarship and the popular press for the neophyte reader.

Campbell, Gordon. Renaissance Art and Architecture. London: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Typical of the specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias, with its alphabetical entries and thematic index to terms from this historical period.

Dempsey, Amy. Styles, Schools and Movements: An Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson Press, 2002.
Another historical period interpretive tool for an age with many artistic developments.

The Encyclopedia of Sculpture. Edited by Antonia Boström. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004. 3 vol. An important resource for artists, movements, terminology, and historical context.

Frazier. Nancy. The Penguin Concise Dictionary of Art History. New York; London: Penguin, 2000. A broad-brush alphabetical coverage of art terms, institutions, movements, and individuals (major artists).

Kaltenbach, G.E. Dictionary of Pronunciation of Artists’ Names. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1938. A venerable and unique reference tool that still proves useful.

Mayer, Ralph. A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques. New York: Crowell, 1969.
A classic work, now outdated, but still relevant for older terminology.

Room, Adrian. A Dictionary of Art Titles: The Origins of the Names and Titles of 3,000 Works of Art. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2000. Demonstrates just how specialized a reference work can be: explains subject matter and titles of works with iconographic contexts.

Walker, John A. Glossary of Art, Architecture and Design Since 1945. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1992.
This dictionary of post-1945 art terms covers much ground, due to the rapid development of trends, technology, and artistic ideology.