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Art

Starting points for research in art

Browse the Library's Books

The books on art and art history are located on LL1 in the West Stacks and be found by searching the library catalog.

To find a book in the library you will need the Call Number which is a string of letters and numbers that indicate the books location in the library shelves.

Screenshot of a catalog entry with a black rectangle around the call number

Available at Reed Library Stacks = Out in the library shelves

Available at Reed Library Reserves = Held behind the circulation desk

Check availability = Open the full item record for more info


The call numbers are separated by subject and browsing is encouraged! The art specific call number headings are:

Subject Call Number
Visual arts N
Architecture NA
Sculpture NB
Drawing, design NC
Painting ND
Print media NE
Decorative arts NK
Arts in general NX
Photography TR

Specialized Resources

Catalogue raisonne: Catalogue raisonnes list and provide images of all known works by a given artist as well as include critical commentary and a bibliography. When you're looking for information about a particular work, a catalogue raisonne can be a good place to start. Reed holds catalogue raisonne for many different artists; you can find them by searching the catalog for "[artist name] catalogue raisonne." International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) has created an online database of catalogue raisonne to search.

Exhibition catalogs: These can also contain helpful information, like commentary, on a specific artwork. You can locate exhibition catalogs in the catalog by searching for "[artist name] exhibitions."

Museum holdings catalogs : If you know which museum holds a particular artwork, a museum holdings catalog is another good place to check. Like a catalogue raisonne, a permanent holdings catalog will generally include a picture of the art work, critical commentary and a bibliography. Find permanent holdings catalogs in the catalog by searching for "[name of museum] catalogs."