Biographical Data on Visual Artists
Ready Reference Guide

This is a list of reference books containing biographical information on artists in the Greenfield Library at the University of the Arts®. Artists is a broad topic that may include painters, illustrators, sculptors, printmakers, designers, architects, etc. Send any questions about this topic to the e-mail address at the end of this document.

SEE ALSO the Biographical Data on Visual Artists Research Guide for ways of finding more information.

Reference Materials

The first place to look when beginning research on a topic is in reference material: specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias or handbooks. These allow you to check names, dates and places, find additional information, and look up definitions of unknown terms. They are particularly helpful for finding basic background information on a topic, and are often the only place students need to look to find answers to their questions. They may include bibliographies (lists of additional materials, usually considered by the author to be the best on that topic).

Be aware that reference books may be general in scope or may be limited by gender, time period, country or race.

Also, always check the publication date against the birth date of the person you are researching.

PAINTING, SCULPTURE, GRAPHIC ARTS

A biographical dictionary of artists. Rev. ed. Facts on File, c1995. REF 709.22 B52 1995
includes architecture

The dictionary of art. Jane Turner, editor. Grove's Dictionaries, 1996.
-*-Really an encyclopedia, this is the most current full-length encyclopedia devoted to art currently available. Always check the index in volume 34-*-
REF 703 D561t v. 1-34
includes architecture

Dictionary of artists. Benezit, editor. Paris: Grund, 2006. REF 703 B43d 2006 v. 1-14

International dictionary of art and artists. St. James Press, 1990. REF 703 In8s v.1 Artists

Jacobs, Jay. The color encyclopedia of world art. Crown Publishers, [1975] REF 703 J153c

Langmuir, Erika. The Yale dictionary of art and artists. Yale University Press, c2000.REF 703 L267y

Livingston, Alan. The Thames & Hudson dictionary of graphic design and designers.
Rev. ed., new ed. Thames & Hudson, 2003. REF 741.603 L762t 2003

McGraw-Hill dictionary of art. McGraw-Hill, 1969. REF 703 M17 v. 1-5
includes architecture

The Oxford companion to art. Edited by Harold Osborne. Oxford University Press, 1970.REF 703 Ox2

The Oxford companion to Western art. Oxford University Press, 2001. REF 709 Ox2w

The Oxford dictionary of art. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2004. REF 703 Ox2c 2004

Praeger encyclopedia of art. Praeger Publishers [1971] REF 703 P88 5 v.
includes architecture

The Random House dictionary of art and artists. 1st American ed. Random House, c1988. REF 703 R159p

The Thames and Hudson dictionary of art and artists. Rev., expanded and updated ed. Thames and Hudson, 1988, c1985. REF703 T329r

20th CENTURY

Chilvers, Ian. A dictionary of twentieth-century art. Oxford University Press, 1998. REF 709.04003 C439d

Contemporary artists. St. James Press 1st - 5th eds. 1977, 1983, 1989, 1996, 2002. REF 709.22 C767

Kostelanetz, Richard. The dictionary of the avant-gardes. Routledge, 2001. REF 700.904 K848d 2001

Lucie-Smith, Edward. Lives of the great twentieth century artists. Rizzoli, 1986. REF 709.22 L963l

Marks, Claude.: World artists, 1950-1980: an H.W. Wilson biographical dictionary. H.W. Wilson, 1984.; World artists 1980-1990: an H.W. Wilson biographical dictionary. H.W. Wilson, 1991.
REF 709.22 M342w

The Oxford companion to twentieth-century art. Oxford University Press, 1988, c1981. REF 709.04 Ox2o

Phaidon dictionary of twentieth-century art. Phaidon Press, 1973. REF 709.04 P49

The Prestel dictionary of art and artists of the 20th century.Prestel, c2000. REF 709.04003 P926d

WOMEN

Contemporary women artists. St. James Press, c1999. REF 704.042 C767h

Dictionary of women artists. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997. REF 709.22 D561g 2 vols.

Dunford, Penny. A biographical dictionary of women artists in Europe and America since 1850. University of Pennsylvania Press, c1989. REF 709.22 D918b

Kort, Carol. A to Z of American women in the visual arts. Facts on File, c2002. REF 704.0420973 K845a

North American women artists of the twentieth century: a biographical dictionary. Garland, 1995. REF 709.22 N811h

Petteys, Chris. Dictionary of women artists: an international dictionary of women artists born before 1900. G.K. Hall, c1985.
REF 709.22 P452d (also copy in open stacks)

Prather-Moses, Alice Irma. The international dictionary of women workers in the decorative arts: a historical survey from the distant past to the early decades of the Twentieth Century. Scarecrow Press, 1981. REF 704.042 P887i 1981

Women artists in the 20th and 21st century. Taschen, c2001. REF 700.88042 W842g

Women artists of color: a bio-critical sourcebook to 20th century artists in the Americas. Greenwood Press, 1999. REF 700.88042 W842f

AMERICAN

American artists: an illustrated survey of leading contemporary Americans. Facts on File Publications, c1985. REF 709.22 Am35k

Cummings, Paul. A dictionary of contemporary American artists. St. Martin's Press [1966] 19711977 1982 1988 1994 REF 709.22 C912

Dawdy, Doris Ostrander. Artists of the American West: a biographical dictionary. 1st ed. Sage Books, [1974]-c1985.
REF 709.73 D32 v.1-2

Encyclopedia of American folk art. Routledge, 2004. REF 745.097303 En19a

Fielding, Mantle. Dictionary of American painters, sculptors & engravers. 2nd newly-rev., enl., and updated ed. Apollo, c1986. REF 709.73 F46 1986

Lester, Patrick D. (Patrick David). The biographical directory of Native American painters. SIR Publications c1995. REF 709.22 L568b

Morgan, Ann Lee. The Oxford dictionary of American art and artists. Oxford University Press, 2007. REF 709.7303 M821o

Samuels, Peggy. The illustrated biographical encyclopedia of artists of the American West. 1st ed. Doubleday, 1976. REF 709.203 Sa49

CULTURES

African-American architects: a biographical dictionary, 1865-1945. Routledge, 2004. REF 720.3 Af83w

Artists of Chinese origin in North America directory = [Pei Mei Hua i i shu chia ming jen lu] 2nd ed. Artist Magazine ; Point Gallery, 1995. REF 709.2273 Ar78z 1995

Berman, Esme. Art and artists of South Africa; an illustrated biographical dictionary and historical survey of painters and graphic artists since 1875. Cape Town, A. A. Balkema, 1970. REF 709.6 B45

Biographical dictionary of Japanese art. 1st ed. Kodansha International Ltd. in collaborationwith the International Society for Educational Information, 1981. REF 709.5203 B5205 1981

Dutch art: an encyclopedia. Garland Pub., 1997. REF 709.492 D95

McCulloch, Alan. The encyclopedia of Australian art. University of Hawaii Press, c1994. REF 709.94 M14 1994

Milner, John. A dictionary of Russian and Soviet artists, 1420-1970. Antique Collectors' Club, 1993. REF 709.4703 M636d

Otfinoski, Steven. African Americans in the visual arts. Facts on File, c2003. REF 704.0396073 Ot2a

Roberts, Laurance P. A dictionary of Japanese artists: painting, sculpture, ceramics, prints, lacquer. 1st ed. Weatherhill, 1976. REF 703.095 R542

St. James guide to Black artists. St. James Press, c1997. REF 709.22 St1r

St. James guide to Hispanic artists : profiles of Latino and Latin American artists. St. James Press, c2002. REF 704.0368073 St1r

Strickland, Walter George. A dictionary of Irish artists. Irish University Press, 1969, c1968. REF 709.415 St85d 2 v.

Bihalji-Merin, Oto. World encyclopedia of naive art. distributed by Harper & Row, 1985, c1984. REF 709.04 B489w

Subject Guide List
University Libraries Home

Send questions or remarks about this page to mcastaldi@uarts.edu, Reference Librarian.
Last updated 1/31/2008 mlc