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Art History

It takes more. Open your mind to the past. Art, history, philosophy. And all this may mean something --  Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Other Resources

Northwestern University Libraries also provide specialized services to aid in your research, including:

  • Inter-Library Loan (ILL)
    If your items are unavailable at NU, you made be able to get them via an inter-library loan. NU maintains consortial borrowing agreements with libraries across the country and even internationally. In addition to books, you may also request scans of specific chapters and journal articles. Loan periods vary depending upon the policies of the lending institution, and usually arrive within 7-10 days. There is no charge for this service, as NU pays all associated fees.
    To submit an ILL request:
    • From the library homepage, select "Find, Borrow, Request" then "Interlibrary Loan" or
    • From within an NU search result, select "Get it" then "ILL@NU"
  • The Newberry Library
    The Newberry Library is a private research library in downtown Chicago. While not specifically and art library, it has extensive primary source holdings in the humanities.
  • Hathi Trust Digital Library
    Hathi Trust is a partnership is a partnership of academic and research institutions that offers a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world, including digitized primary source material.
  • Worldcat
    Not technically a library, Worldcat connects you to the collections and services of over 10,000 libraries across the world. Essentially the word's largest card catalog, it can be invaluable in locating difficult to find resources.
  • Center for Creative Photography
    The Center for Creative Photography was founded in 1975 by Ansel Adams and is housed at the University of Arizona Libraries. Thousands of images by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, along with hundreds of works by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Lola Alvarez Bravo, and others are available through the University of Arizona's digital repository. The archives of major 20th-century photographers including Adams, Weston, Harry Callahan, and Garry Winogrand are housed at the CCP.
  • The British Library
    With over 150 million items in its collection, the British Library is an irreplaceable resource. Catalogs for specific collections can be found here.
  • The Getty Research Institute
    The Getty Research Institute is dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts and their various histories through its expertise, active collecting program, public programs, institutional collaborations, exhibitions, publications, digital services, and residential scholars programs. The Getty Vocabularies are databases containing structured terminology for art, architecture, decorative arts, archival materials, visual surrogates, conservation, and bibliographic materials. Compliant with international standards, they provide authoritative information for catalogers, researchers, and data providers. The vocabularies grow through contributions. In the new linked, open environments, they provide a powerful conduit for research and discovery for digital art history.
  • The Ryerson and Burnham Library
    The Art Institute of Chicago is home to the Ryerson and Burnham Library, an art-centered research library open to the public. The library is an outstanding resource for difficult to find materials, including an extensive collection of exhibition catalogs. The library's catalog is available online
  • Kubikat
    Kubikat is an online portal to the collective catalog of four leading German research institutes for art history. As the largest art libraries database, Kubikat currently contains more than two million records including 990,000 articles in scholarly periodicals, conference papers, commemorative volumes and exhibition catalogues. Searches can also be restricted to the holdings of one of the member institutions (with the exception of article records). Kubikat contains the catalogs of:
    • Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, Max-Planck-Institut (www.khi.fi.it)
    • Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich (www.zikg.eu), funded by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst
    • Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte / Centre allemand d'histoire de l'art in Paris (dfk-paris.org/), funded by Max Weber Stiftung - Foundation of German Humanities Institutes Abroad
    • Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte in Rome (www.biblhertz.it)

 

 

  • Department of Art History
    The Department's website contains information about faculty, course offerings, and requirements for students interested in majors or minors in art history, along with announcements of art related events and opportunities both on and off campus
  • Department of Art Theory & Practice
    The Department of Art Theory and Practice is focused on harnessing the creative abilities of Northwestern students, allowing them to become contributors to their chosen fields. The ATP department website also contains information on faculty, classes, and arts events