Online Resources

The DMA is committed to making art accessible in Dallas and around the world, and our online resources play an important role in that mission. Explore the possibilities:

• Library Catalogs
• Artist Biography
• Art Research – General
• Art Research – By Subject
• Auction Sales Results
• Conservation
• Digital Books, Newspapers, and Journals
• Images
• Provenance
• Writing and Style Guides

DMA Staff: Contact the librarian regarding access to full-text research databases and indexes.

Databases marked with an * are limited to on-site or DMA staff access.

• Mildred R. and Frederick M. Mayer Library Catalog
• DMA Archives: Search Museum archives and special collections.
• *FirstSearch: Precise, full-featured searching of WorldCat.
• WorldCat: Search library collections across the world.
• Art Discovery Group Catalogue: Focused search within WorldCat on art historical literature found in art libraries worldwide.

Local Libraries with Art Resources

• Southern Methodist University’s Hamon Arts Library
• University of Texas at Dallas’ Eugene McDermott Library
• Dallas Public Library

• *Benezit Dictionary of Artists: Artist biographies, exhibition histories, auction records, and signatures.
• *Grove Art Online: Standard resource for artists, patrons, movements, places, and periods.
• Artists' Biographies Research Guide: Biographical resource suggestions provided by the Getty Research Institute.
• Art History Research Net Guide: A list of websites containing biographical information on designers, architects, craftspeople, painters, sculptors, and other creators.
• Dictionary of Art Historians: Biographical entries for historians of Western art.
• Getty Union List of Artist Names (ULAN): An evolving vocabulary provided by the Getty Research Institute used to identify an artist's name (and variances of his or her name), and nationality, role, and related people.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts – Artist Profiles: Biographical information for over 1,000 national and international women artists.
• Native American Artist Resource Collection Online: Biographical information for nearly 25,000 Native American artists.
• Women Artist Index: Biographical information on 20th-century women artists in the Archive of Women Artists Research & Exhibitions.

• *Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms: Definitions for various visual art terms related to materials, techniques, and defining styles and movements.
• Digital Art History Directory (DAHD): Open-access database of digital art history projects and information on data sources, best practices in Digital Art History project construction, preservation, and web archiving. 
• *Encyclopedia of Aesthetics: Major concepts, thinkers, and debates regarding meaning, uses, and value of all art.
• *JSTOR: Major research database that provides access to over 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary resources.
• *Oxford Art Online: Standard and authoritative art reference resource.
• *Oxford Companion to Western Art: Comprehensive overview of artists, movements, patronage, theory, and scientific research regarding Western art.
• Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA); Répertoire internationale de la littérature de l'art (RILA): European and American visual arts material including articles from over 1,200 journals.
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Essays on various topics ranging from Andean textiles to American women sculptors and a timeline to explore art and culture by time period or location.
• IFAR Catalogues Raisonnés Database: Identifies published catalogues raisonnés and catalogs in preparation.
• Print Council of America's Index to Print Catalogue Raisonnés: Identifies published catalogues raisonnés related to European and American prints, print publishers, drawings, and photographs. Also covers Japanese prints and photographs.

• African Art Research Guide: A list of freely-available resources for students, teachers, and researchers.
• Africa South of the Sahara – Selected Internet Resources: An annotated directory of online resources on Africa from Stanford University Libraries.
• Arts and Life in Africa: Encyclopedic essays and extensive bibliography regarding African arts and culture. The project is hosted by the University of Iowa Stanley Museum.
• Digital Benin: Explore a catalogue of 5,285 objects from the Benin Kingdom from 136 public institutions through oral histories, a map of the Benin Kingdom, a glossary of Edo object terms, and other tools. This digital humanities project is ongoing, with more work being done on provenance and repatriation.
• Ross Archive of African Images (RAAI): Database of African art images and accompanying historical data published between 1590 and 1920.

• African American Visual Artists Database: A bibliographic database for artists from Africa and of the African Diaspora who have lived, worked, studied, or exhibited in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.
• American Watercolors – Research Resources from the Philadelphia Museum of Art: A subject guide with bibliographies, a chronology of the American watercolor movement, online resources, and various catalogs.
• Archives of American Art: A repository of letters, scrapbooks, financial records, oral histories, and other primary sources focused on the past 200 years of American art.
• Colonial Virginia Portraits: An interactive database of portraits with a documented history in Virginia or featuring colonial Virginian subjects before circa 1776.
• Women Artist Archives National Directory (WAAND): A directory from Rutgers University of archival collections for artists active in the U.S. since 1945.

• Asia Art Archive: Digital archive for Asia Art Archive's projects with various artists, institutions, and art spaces.
• Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art: Archive of nearly 300,000 original slides and photographs of art and architecture throughout Asia with a major focus on Buddhism.
• Map Academy: Database of scholarly encyclopedic articles and online courses focused on the art history of South Asia. Currently content focuses on India, but will be expanding to more of South Asia soon.
• National Museum of Asian Art: Scholarly online publications from the Smithsonian Libraries.

• Attic Vase Inscription Database: A searchable database of Henry R. Immerwahr's Corpus of Attic Vase Inscriptions.
• Classical Art Research Centre (University of Oxford): Resources include the Beazley Archive Pottery Database and other databases; dictionary, bibliography, and archival documents.

• *Klimt02: Platform covering contemporary art jewelry exhibitions, fairs, workshops, interviews, gallery guides, and more from 2004 to current.
• American Craft Council (ACC) Library and Archives Digital Collection: Digitized materials including documentation of craft conferences, exhibitions, and fairs, and the Society of North American Goldsmith's slide archive.
• Art Jewelry Forum: Interviews with artists and articles about contemporary art jewelry.
• Black Craftspeople Digital Archive: Archival material and a searchable map containing information on lack craftspeople in the South.
• Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture: Collection of decorative arts electronic resources with a focus on Early America.
• Fashion History Timeline: Open access resource with a focus on the history of Western fashion and dress.
• Friends of Fiber Art International Artist Files: Digitized ephemera documenting various fiber artists. This collection is part of American Craft Council's digital collections.
• Maine Antiques Digest Trade Directory: Comprehensive trade directory for North American antique dealers.

• Art of Renaissance Europe: A Resource for Educators: Lesson plans and activities that explore Renaissance themes, techniques, and artists.
• Bauhaus: Building the New Artist: Produced in conjunction with the Getty's exhibition, Bauhaus Beginnings, this online exhibition provides an overview of Bauhaus history, teachers, and curriculum.
• Database of Salon Artists: Searchable record of Paris Salon entries from 1827 to 1850.
• Digital Cicognara: An initiative to digitize the private book collection of Count Leopoldo Cicognara, which includes foundational works in art and archaeology from the 15th to 19th centuries.
• Gallica: The digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
• Spanish Artists From the 4th to 20th Century: A Critical Dictionary: A searchable database of more than 5,000 Spanish artists.

• Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI): A wide range of dissertation/theses, maps, bibliographies, drawings and photographs, and links to other resources focused on Mesoamerican studies.
• Maya Decipherment - Ideas on Maya Writing and Iconography: A blog run by the Boundary End Archaeological Research Center. Posts are similar to articles that would normally be published in the journal Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing, which has ceased publication for the time being. Includes links to outside resources on Maya writing.
• Mesoweb: Photographs, publications, and links to online resources regarding ancient Mexican and Central American cultures.
• National Museum of the American Indian: Educational materials from the Smithsonian Museum.
• Visual Resources Catalog of Native American Artists (VIRCONA): A database of Native North American artists represented in the slide collection of University of New Mexico's Bunting Visual Resources Library.

• Aga Khan Documentation Center: Repository of primary resources to support the research of art, architecture, urbanism, and landscape design in Muslim societies.
• FIHIRST: Catalog of manuscripts from the Islamic world.

• Documents of Latin American and Latino Art: A digital archive and publications project of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
• Handbook of Latin American Studies: A database from the Library of Congress that provides scholarly assessments of publications related to Latin America from the 1930s to the present.

• Artist Archive Initiative: Conceptualizes artist archival material to aid future exhibitions and reactivation of artists' work.
• Art21: Articles, videos, and other educational resources on contemporary artists.
• The International Dada Archive: Collection of documentation and scholarship related to Dada.

• Handbook of Texas: Encyclopedia for Texas history, including entries on artists and art institutions.
• Bywaters Special Collections - Digital Collections: Collections focus on regional artists, with the exception of digitized correspondences of Rosa Bonheur. Highlights include Octavio Medellin Art Work and Papers, Otis Dozier Sketchbooks, DeForrest Judd Sketchbooks, Potter Art Iron Studios materials from the 1920s and 30s, and more.
• Portal to Texas History: Rare, historical, and primary source material from or about Texas.
• Texas Artists: Paintings, Sculpture, and Works on Paper: Digitized paintings, sculptures, and works on paper that are held by participating Texas institutions, including the DMA.
• Texas Talks Art: A weekly series that pairs a Texas-based artist or artist collective with a Texas-based curator to discuss their current work and practice.

• The Illustrated Bartsch: Encyclopedic compilation of European printmakers from the 14th century to the mid-1800s.
• Vetusta Monuments: Published by the Society of Antiquarians of London, the first three volumes focus on 18th century engravings.

• *Artnet: Browse by gallery, auction house, and artist. Contains biographical information.
• *Artprice: Resources for the art market, including auction sales and artist prices.
• *askART: Contains biographical information.
• *Invaluable: Browse by gallery, auction house, and artist.
• Artsy: Contains biographical information.

• Abstracts of International Conservation Literature (AATA): Research database containing abstracts related to preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage.
• Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network: Authoritative bibliographic resource for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of cultural property.
• Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online (CAMEO): Resource developed by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, that includes chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on historic and contemporary materials.

• Art History Research Net Research Guide No. 2: Full-text access to digitized, free-to-access periodicals related to architecture, art, crafts, and design.
• Chronicling America: Database featuring digitized American newspapers (1777–1963). Includes the U.S. Newspaper Directory which covers American newspapers published from 1690 to the present.
• DMA Exhibition Records collection: DMA exhibition catalogs and installation images (1903–1983) hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Digital Public Library of America: Digitized materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions across America.
• Europeana: Repository for digitized materials from European galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.
• Frick Digital Collections: Images, archival documentation, and books from the photoarchive, Frick Art Reference Library, and archives.
• Gallica: Digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
• Getty Publications Virtual Library: Online access to over 300 Getty publications.
• Getty Research Portal: Art history publications, rare books, and related literature from institutions worldwide.
• HathiTrust: Collaborative repository of materials from research institutions around the world.
• International Advertising & Design Database: Full-text access to periodicals related to advertising and design.
• Internet Archive: Digital library with free access to books, video, audio, websites, images, and software.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications: Full-text access to out-of-print publications, including Bulletin and Journal issues from the past five decades.
• National Gallery of Art Backlist: Downloadable titles from the National Gallery of Art.
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Online access to Guggenheim Museum publications through the Internet Archive.
• USModernist Library: Digitized issues of major 20th-century architecture magazines. Includes biographical information of major architects.

• *Artstor: An extensive image database with helpful tools to help you organize images and use them for papers and presentations. This resource is now accessible through JSTOR.
• Paul Mellon Centre Photographic Archive: Database of over 10,000 photos of British paintings, sculpture, architecture, and the decorative arts. Also contains helpful collection use videos.
• PHAROS: International Consortium of Art Images: Photo archive collections from 14 European and North American art historical institutions.
• POP - La Platform Ouverte du Patrimoine: Portal to images from major French museum collections, objects in the Musées nationaux Récupération including works exhibited by the ERR at the Jeu de Paume, details of medieval manuscript illustrations held in French cultural institutions, and more related to French heritage objects. In 2018–2019 various French cultural databases, including Joconde, were merged into one discovery platform.

• *IFAR Art Law & Cultural Property Database: Legislation related to export and ownership of cultural property for various countries, as well as case law (primarily in the U.S.) and statutes.
• Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America: Primary source material on American art collectors, dealers, agents, and advisors.
• Getty Provenance Index: More than 2.3 million records taken from source material such as archival inventories, auction catalogs, and dealer stock books.
• IFAR's Provenance Guide: A concise primer for conducting provenance research. Includes how to get started, how to use auction records, and guidance on Holocaust-era research. The bibliography cites sources as recent as 2021.
• Montias Database of 17th-Century Dutch Art Inventories: Information from 1,280 inventories of goods (paintings, prints, sculptures, furniture, etc.) owned by people living in 17th-century Amsterdam.
• Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal Archive: Registry provided by the American Alliance of Museums featuring almost 30,000 objects in U.S. museums that changed hands in continental Europe during the Nazi era.
• Wildenstein Plattner Institute – Digital Archives: Primary sources and research materials compiled by the Wildenstein Institute for the writing of catalogues raisonnés on major French artists of the 18th and early 20th centuries.
• Wildenstein Plattner Institute – Sales Catalogs Database: Searchable collection of 11,000+ digitized sales catalogs dating pre-1945 provided by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute.

• *Chicago Manual of Style Online: Online Chicago Manual of Style.
• How to Do Things with Pictures: A Guide to Writing in Art History: An online Harvard University publication focused on writing about art.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): A free style guide for Chicago Manual of Style.