Art and Art History

Using the Library's collection of Art books should be a fundamental part of your research process. The books on art and art history are located on LL1 in the North 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.

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:

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."