Top Pick
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Oxford Art OnlineCovers all of the visual arts: people, places, major works, styles, periods, techniques, etc.
Recent Art
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Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (2nd ed.)Great for theories, theorists, trends, and concepts such as "the sublime."
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The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, 2011From Native American to now. (e-book)
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A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2015Brief but informative entries. Especially good for critical terms. (e-book)
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Styles, Schools and Movements, 2005A chronological arrangement so use the index to find a specific topic.
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International Art Galleries, 2005History of the major commercial galleries of the world's art capitals.
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Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts, 2004LGBT+ artists and imagery in painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and architecture.
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St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 2000Mostly mass media and entertainment but also other aspects of pop culture. The paper version is 5 volumes.
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Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art, 2016Reviews the scholarly literature on 35 broad topics. Use the index for specifics.
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Photography
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The Oxford Companion to the Photograph, 2005History, technology, theory, and bios. (e-book)
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Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography, 2008Includes photographers, critics, formal aspects, hardware, institutions, movements, publications, regions, techniques, and styles. 2 volumes.
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Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 2006Includes photographers, critics, formal aspects, hardware, institutions, movements, publications, regions, techniques, and styles. 3 volumes.
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Design and Decor
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A Dictionary of Modern Design, 2016Brief entries, but convenient. (e-book)
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Encyclopedia of Interior Design, 1997Styles, rooms, movements, designers, furnishers, trade names, etc. for all periods and most cultures. 2 volumes.
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Encyclopedia of Furnishing Textiles, Floorcoverings and Home Furnishing Practices, 1200-1950, 2007Rich in detailed historical information.
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Art Education
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Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education, 2004Encyclopedic articles on issues in art education with extensive bibliographies. (e-book or book)
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Encyclopedia of Creativity, 1999Aspects of creativity such as cognitive and learning types, developmental stages, cultural differences, teaching, etc.
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International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2002Summaries of child development, multiculturalism, and other huge topics. (e-book)