Oxford LibGuides: Art History for Continuing Education short courses: Oxford's online resources

Oxford's Online Resources

Oxford subscribes to a wide range of online resources which are available to students with an Oxford Single Sign on (SSO) from home. To browse the full list of these resources use the Databases A-Z

If you do not have an Oxford Single Sign on (SSO) please see the 'Free online resources' tab.

If you are looking for a specific ebook or articles please see the tabs for 'books' or 'journals' instead.

Online resources for literature searching

You can search for books, articles, conference papers, other publications and dissertations using SOLO, Google Scholar or Bibliographical Databases. Below you will find some brief notes about each of these tools followed by a list of bibliographical databases for Art History. For a more detailed comparison of the pro's and cons of SOLO, Google Scholar and Bibliographical Databases as literature searching tools please see the 'Search Tips' tab.

SOLO
A keyword search in SOLO will return a wide range of results nearly all of which will be available in full to Oxford students. Although SOLO is an excellent tool for subject searching for books, it can be a blunt tool for searching for articles sometimes returning items which are less relevant to your topic.
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This is because SOLO casts a very wide net (searching across nearly all of Oxford's electronic and print resources). Whilst this can be an advantage in surfacing items from a range of disciplines and perspectives, it can also mean that you receive a lot of results some of which may be less relevant to you. The refine options on the left hand side of SOLO can help by narrowing your search
Google Scholar
A keyword search in Google Scholar will return vast numbers of results which nearly always include useful items but which may also include less relevant and in some cases less scholarly materials. Google Scholar will return some results where you will only see brief details (rather than the 'full text'). See 'more' for information on setting up Google Scholar for Oxford e-resources which will help with this.
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For the best results open Google Scholar 'Settings' and in 'Library Links' search for 'University of Oxford'. This will enable Google Scholar to link to Oxford's subscription eresources. However, Google will still return some results where you can't see the 'full text'.
Bibliographical Databases
Bibliographical Databases search across selected academic publications in a discipline and usually have searchable summaries, advanced search options and refinements. As a result they often return smaller numbers of results which are more focussed and relevant. One disadvantage is that they may include some items which are not available in "full text". Use "Find it @ Oxford" to help with this. You will find a selection of bibliographical databases for your subject below.

Key Bibliographic Databases

Art Full Text (including Art Abstracts)
Provides high-quality indexing and abstracting of over 600 periodicals dating back to 1984–including 280 peer-reviewed journals–as well as indexing and abstracting of over 13,000 art dissertations, and indexing of almost 200,000 art reproductions.
Coverage dates: Indexing 1984-, Abstracting 1994-
Full Text 1995 -
This database offers abstracts and indexing of an international array of peer-selected publications as well as full-text to over 300 periodicals - now with expanded coverage of Latin American, Canadian, Asian and other non-Western art, new artists, contemporary art, exhibition reviews, and feminist criticism. In addition to articles, Art Abstracts indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.
Subjects Covered
Advertising Art, Antiques, Archaeology, Architecture and Architectural History, Art History, Computers in Art, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Fashion Design, Folk Art, Graphic Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures, Museology, Non-Western Art, Painting, Photography, Pottery, Sculpture, Television, Textiles, Video.
ARTbibliographies Modern
This database is the only specialist bibliography available for the study of modern and contemporary art. Covers all art forms, from painting, sculpture and photography to video, body art and graffiti. Full abstracts and indexing from the late 1960s onwards.
Alternative name: ART Bibliographies Modern

ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogues, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art, with approximately 12-13,000 new entries being added each year. Entries date back as far as the late 1960s.
ABM is the premier source of information on modern and contemporary arts dating from the late 19th century onwards, and including photography since its invention. It includes abstracts of English and foreign-language material on famous and lesser-known artists, movements, and trends. The coverage of ABM is wide-ranging and includes performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artists' books, theatre arts, conservation, crafts, ceramic and glass art, ethnic arts, graphic and museum design, fashion, and calligraphy, as well as traditional media including illustration, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.
ABM is used by students and researchers around the world to pinpoint publications and writings relevant to their area of study. Its extensive classification system and comprehensive abstracts make it an ideal source for information on artists, art movements, art history and theory, design, photography, and crafts.
Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
This database includes articles from over 1,200 journals.
Alternative names: BHA ; Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA)

The Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) is the world's most comprehensive bibliography of scholarly writing about the history of western art.
BHA includes articles from over 1,200 journals.
Index of Medieval Art
The Index records works of art produced without geographical limitations from early apostolic times up to A.D. 1400 with a particular emphasis and focus on art of the western world.
Alternative name: Index of Christian Art

The Index of Medieval Art (formerly Index of Christian Art) was founded by Professor Charles Rufus Morey (1877-1955) in 1917 and it is now the most important and largest archive of medieval art anywhere in the world. Nearly two thousand works of art are added to the archive on an annual basis.
The Index records works of art produced without geographical limitations from early apostolic times up to A.D. 1400 (extended in the case of the Morgan and Princeton Library projects to include this manuscript holdings up to the end of the sixteenth century). As is to be expected, there is a particular emphasis and focus on art of the western world. Seventeen different media are represented in the archive, and these include manuscripts, metalwork, sculpture, painting, glass, and so forth.
International Medieval Bibliography
It covers periodical literature and miscellany volumes published in Europe, North America, Australasia, Brazil, Japan and South Africa.
Alternative name: IMB

The International Medieval Bibliograpy (IMB) database comprises records deriving from articles published in periodicals (journals) and in miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, collected essays, Festschriften and exhibition catalogues) published world-wide. It can be searched as part of Brepolis Medieval and Early Modern Bibliographies.
All subjects relating to the Middle Ages are included, within the date range 300-1500 AD. Geographical areas covered are Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Please note that we only have a three user licence for this title so please exit when you have finished!

Databases A-Z
The 'Databases A-Z' lists all the bibliographical databases and other databases and online resources available to members of University of Oxford. To limit to bibliographical databases only choose 'Abstracts and Indexes' under 'Database type'

Digital images

The following ones are key databases for digital images, more detailed information on digital images for Art History can be found on the 'Finding images' tab.

ARTstor
Alternative name: ART stor

ARTstor is a non-profit initiative, founded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with a mission to use digital technology to enhance scholarship, teaching and learning in the arts and associated fields. The ARTstor Digital Library Charter Collection is a repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images and related data and the tools to actively use those images.
The ARTstor Library is a collection of collections. It is the product of a growing number of collection development partnerships with individuals and institutions in the US and abroad. The ARTstor Library may be searched as an integrated whole or by its constituent collections.
Users of ARTstor may not use the content in ARTstor for any commercial purpose, including incorporating content in print or electronic publications distributed through a press (whether commercial or non-commercial). Additionally, users may not distribute widely ARTstor content, such as through unrestricted websites.
VADS (Visual Arts Data Service)
VADS is the online resource for visual arts. It has provided services to the academic community for 11 years and has built up a considerable portfolio of visual art collections comprising over 100,000 images that are freely available and copyright cleared for use in teaching, learning and research in the UK.
VADS offers advice and guidance to the visual arts research, teaching and learning communities on all aspects of digital resource management from funding, through delivery and use, to preservation.

Encyclopaedias & dictionaries

Oxford Reference
Alternative names: ORO ; Oxford Reference Online

Oxford Reference Online brings together over 450 reference works published by Oxford University Press into a single cross-searchable resource. It includes English and bilingual dictionaries, English grammar and usage guides, quotations and subject-specific reference works.
It is updated regularly with new titles, new editions, new entries, full-colour maps and illustrations, timelines, weblinks, and bibliographies.

The Grove encyclopedia of classical art and architecture
This deals with all aspects of classical art from Cycladic, Minoan and Etruscan art to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Grove art online
Provides access to the entire text of The dictionary of art (1996) with constant additions of new material and updates to the text, plus extensive image links.

Dictionary of Art Historians
Online biographical dictionary of major art historians worldwide. Includes bibliography on works by the historian as well as works about his/her life.

American Colonial Women and Their Art by Mary Ellen Snodgrass
ISBN: 9781442270961
Publication Date: 2017-11-10
Less celebrated than their male counterparts, women have been vital contributors to the arts. Works by women of the colonial era represent treasured accomplishments of American culture and still impress us today, centuries after their creation.
A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art by Ian Chilvers; John Glaves-Smith
ISBN: 9780199239658
Publication Date: 2009-10-18
contains more than 2,000 clear and concise entries on all aspects of modern and contemporary art. Its impressive range of terms includes movements, styles, techniques, artists, critics, dealers, schools, and galleries.
Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture by Lilian H. Zirpolo
ISBN: 9781538111291
Publication Date: 2018-03-01

Oxford Bibliographies Online

Oxford Bibliographies
Alternative names: OBO ; Oxford Bibliographies Online

Oxford Bibliographies are comprehensive subject bibliographies, which provide an up-to-date overview of the most recent and authoritative scholarship in a given field. Oxford Bibliographies provides faculty and students alike with a seamless pathway to the most accurate and reliable resources for a variety of academic topics. Every article in the database is an authoritative guide to the current scholarship, written and reviewed by academic experts, with original commentary and annotations. The modules include:
African American Studies, African Studies, American Literature, Anthropology, Art History, Atlantic History, Biblical Studies, British and Irish Literature, Buddhism, Childhood Studies, Chinese Studies, Cinema and Media Studies, Classics, Communication, Criminology, Ecology, Education, Environmental Science, Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Hinduism, International Law, International Relations, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Latino Studies, Linguistics, Literary and Critical Theory, Management, Medieval Studies, Military History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health, Renaissance and Reformation, Social Work, Sociology, Victorian Literature.