Research Guides: Art History & Architecture History: Reference (Dictionaries and Encyclopedias)

Key Dictionaries & Encyclopedias: Online

Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Oxford Art Online is a gateway to search art reference sources including Grove Art Online, the online version of the Grove Dictionary of Art originally published in paper in 1996. This online version continues to grow with entries range from a paragraph to many pages, but all contain a bibliography and some also include images. Also includes Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Reference works covering many topics of relevance to art history. Includes the Grove art encyclopedias, Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art, Dictionary of Modern Design, Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art & Architecture, Oxford Companion to the Photography and other titles in the Oxford Companion series, and other titles.
Gale e-books This link opens in a new window
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Online histories, encyclopedias, almanacs, data compilations, works of literary analysis, and other reference sources owned by the UO Libraries.

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Why Dictionaries & Encyclopedias?

Dictionaries and encyclopedias are great places to find fact-based information about your topic. This might include dates, time periods, family information, related artists or artwork or movements, and/or media used, among other things.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias help establish context for your topic. As you read entries, pay attention to the words being used, and then use these key terms for searching for articles, books, and videos.