Art Biographical Reference Works: A Selected Guide

ART BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCE WORKS: A SELECTED GUIDE
Compiled by Kathryn Wayne, Fine Arts Librarian
July 2004

General Art Biographical Sources

Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Internationale Künstlerdatenbank AKL = World Biographical Dictionary of Artists. N40.A44 compu/d (CD-ROM ed.; see entry 3 for print ed.) German and English. Available via the Networked CD-ROM Databases on all Library Public Computers.
Entries longer than Thieme-Becker or Vollmer.

Allgemeines Lexikon der bildendend Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts. Hans Vollmer. Leipzig: E.A. Seemann, 1953-1962. 6 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N40.V6
Supplement to “Thieme-Becker” (see entry 3). Includes artists born after 1870.

Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker. Leipzig: W. Englemann, 1907-1950. 37 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N40.T4
The most comprehensive scholarly biographical dictionaries. Supplemented by Vollmer (see entry 2). Sixty volumes are expected. Thieme-Becker provides comprehensive coverage of artists and architects from antiquity to the present. Includes locations of some works. For help with abbreviations used, see V. Meyer’s Index of the most common German abbreviations used in Thieme-Becker, 1972 (same call number).

A Biographical and critical dictionary of painters, engravers, sculptors and architects, from ancient to modern times: with the monograms, ciphers, and marks used by distinguished artists to certify their works. Shearjashub Spooner. New York: Putnam, 1853. Environmental Design MICROFILM.17741.NA (Reel 91, no. 1236, of American architectural books)
Concise biographies.

A Biographical dictionary of artists. Sir Lawrence Gowing, ed. North Amer. ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1983. Doe Reference N25.E53.1983 v. 2
Covers major Western artists throughout history. Some bibliographical references included as well as illustrations, name and subject index, glossary of terms.

Contemporary artists. Sara Pendergast, Tom Pendergast, eds. 5th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2002. 2 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6490.C6567 2002
Exhaustive illustrated reference providing personal and professional information on 850 known and emerging international artists. Modern painters, sculptors, graphic and performance artists included.

Contemporary women artists. Laurie Collier Hillstrom, Kevin Hillstrom, eds. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999. AH/C N8354.C66 1999 Reference
Provides biographical, bibliographical and critical information on more than 350 of the world's most prominent 20th -century women artists, including important new artists.

Dictionary of women artists. Delia Gaze, ed. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997. Doe Reference [Biographies] N8354.D53 1997
Substantial entries on 600 European, American, and Australasian artists, from the Middle Ages to the present. General bibliography. Some illustrations.

Dictionary of women artists: an international dictionary of women artists born before 1900. Chris Petteys, ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1985. Doe Reference [Biographies] N43.P47 1985
Brief entries for 21,000 painters, printmakers, illustrators and sculptors.

Dictionnaire biographique des artistes contemporains, 1910-1930. René Édouard-Joseph. Paris: Art & Edition, 1930-34. 3 vols. AH/C N40.E4 Reference
Covers mainly French artists or artists working in France. Includes some public auction prices, signatures. Some portraits of the artists and illustrations of artists' works.

Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. Emmanuel Bénézit. New ed. Paris: Grund, 1999. 14 vols. AH/C N40.B47 1999 Reference
After Thieme-Becker (see entry 3), the most useful comprehensive source. Covers painters, sculptors, designers and graphic artists of Eastern and Western art from 5 B.C. to the present. Includes brief biographical data, locations of some art works, and many facsimiles of artists’ signatures.

The Thames and Hudson dictionary of art and artists. Herbert Read, Nikos Stangos, eds. Rev. ed. London; New York: Thames and Hudson, 1985. AH/C N31 T4 1985 Reference
Concise entries on more than 2,500 international artists.

Who’s who in art. London: Art Trade Press, Ltd., 1927- . Published every other year. Doe Reference [Biographies] N40.W5
A comprehensive list of contemporary artists primarily in Great Britain. Covers all forms of painting and drawing, graphic art, and sculpture. Includes an appendix of monograms and signatures.

World artists, 1950-1980: an H.W. Wilson biographical dictionary. Claude Marks, ed. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1984. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6489.M37 1984
Substantial biographies provided for 312 artists, covering a wide variety of styles and movements. Entries often include artists' statements.

World artists 1980-1990: an H.W. Wilson biographical dictionary. Claude Marks, ed. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1991. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6489.M37 1991
Covers approximately 122 artists.

Biographical Indexes

Index to artistic biography. Patricia Havlice. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. Second Supplement. 2 vols. AH/C N40.H38 Suppl. 2 Reference
Covers 131 additional titles published since the first supplement (see entry 17). Includes some French and Spanish titles.

Index to artistic biography. Patricia Havlice. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1973. First supplement, 1981. 2 vols. AH/C N40.H381 & N40.H38 1981 Suppl. Reference
Index to location of artists' biographies, including 64 works in 10 languages. Basic biographical information, plus variant spellings, pseudonyms and alternate names of artists. Supplement covers 70 additional titles.

Internationales Handbuch aller Maler und Bildhauer des 19. Jahrhunderts. Joachim Busse. Wiesbaden: Busse, 1977. (Busse-Verzeichnis; 19) AH/C N6450.B85 Reference
Covers approximately 89,000 artists active in the 19th century. Basic biographical information, with a focus on lesser-known Western artists. Bibliographical references for each entry.

Mallett’s index of artists: international-biographical including painters, sculptors, illustrators, engravers and etchers of the past and the present. Daniel Mallett. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1935. AH/C N40.M3 Reference
Covers approximately 27,000 leading worldwide artists, with a special focus on American artists. Basic biographical information. Authoritative source for further biographical resources.

Supplement to Mallett's Index of artists, international-biographical; including painters, sculptors illustrators, engravers and etchers of the past and the present not in the 1935 edition. Daniel Mallett. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1940. AH/C N40.M3 Suppl. Reference
Covers over 18,000 additional artists not included in the original 1935 edition (see entry 19).

Painters

Bryan’s dictionary of painters and engravers. Michael Bryan. New York: Macmillan, 1903-1905. 5 vols. AH/C N40.B7.1903 Reference
Standard universal dictionary of artists. Longer articles include lists of artists’ works.

Cyclopedia of painters and paintings. John Denison Champlin. New York: Scribner, 1888. 4 vols. AH/C ND30.C4 Reference
Standard biographical dictionary of painters. Entries include biographical data, lists of paintings with locations, and descriptions of paintings. Selected artists' monograms and signatures.

A Dictionary of miniaturists, illuminators, calligraphers, and copyists. Bradley, John. London: B. Quavitch, 1887-89. 3 vols. Bancroft ND2890.B7.D5 1887
Historical dictionary providing a brief description of the work of miniaturists, illuminators, calligraphers, and copyists. List of supplementary names included in appendix.

Dictionnaire des miniaturistes du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance. Erardo Aeschlimann. 2nd ed. Milan: U. Hoepli, 1949. Bancroft fN7616.A47 1949 Non-circulating
Dictionary of miniature painters of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Does not include copyists, calligraphers, patrons, amateurs, or others allied to miniature painting. Biographical references.

The Miniature in Europe in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Leo Schidlof. Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1964. 4 vols. AH/C N7616.S37 Reference
Comprehensive dictionary of European miniature painters, 16th-19th centuries. Entries include dates, place of birth and death, and references to sales information.

Illustrators

Artists as illustrators: an international directory with signatures and monograms, 1800 to the present. John Castagno, ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1989. Doe Reference [Biographies] NC961.63.C371 1989
Comprehensive listing of over 14,000 international 19th and 20th century artists. Includes illustrators, sculptors, and fine art artists who have illustrated books, magazines, booklets, records and posters. Approximately 4,000 entries include a signature facsimile. Bibliographical references.

Dictionnaire des illustrateurs, 1800-1914. Marcus Osterwalder, ed. Paris: Hubschmid & Bouret, 1983. AH/C NC961.6.D5 Reference
Includes 1,086 Western artists, primarily French. Provides biographical information, artist's technique and style, and journal names to which artists contributed. Each artist is represented by an image.

Photographers

Contemporary photographers. Martin Marix Evans, ed. 3rd ed. New York: St. James Press, c1995. Doe Reference [Biographies] TR139.C664 1995
Short biographies of major photographers. Includes bibliographies, individual and groups exhibitions, and a listing of selected public galleries and museums containing the photographer's work. Illustrated.

International guide to nineteenth-century photographers and their works: based on catalogs of auction houses and dealers. Gary Edwards. Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall, 1988. AH/C TR15.E481.1988 Reference

Macmillan biographical encyclopedia of photographic artists and innovators. Turner Browne and Elaine Partnow. New York: Macmillan; London: Collier Macmillan, 1983. AH/C TR139.B767 1983 Reference
More than 2,000 fine arts and commercial photographers. Includes bibliographies, listings of permanent collections, dealers and representatives of the artist.

Masters of photography. Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, eds. New York: Park Lane, 1981, c1958. AH/C TR650.M39.1981
Biographies and representative photographs of nineteen U.S. and European master photographers. Photography examples begin circa 1844 through 1958. Featured photographers are: David Octavius Hill; Robert Adamson; Albert Sands Southworth; Josiah Johnson Hawes; Nadar; Alexander Gardner; Timothy H. O'Sullivan; Julia Margaret Cameron; Peter Henry Emerson; Alfred Stieglitz; Edward Steichen; Eugène Atget; Paul Strand; Edward Weston; Erich Salomon; Dorothea Lange; Walker Evans; Henri Cartier-Bresson; and, Ansel Adams. Selected bibliography.

Photographers encyclopedia international from its beginnings to the present = Encyclopédie internationale des photographes des débuts à nos jours. Michèle Auer. Neuchâtel: Ides et Calendes, 1977. AH/C TR139.E5 1997 CD-ROM Station [request Magazine #2 at Circulation Desk]
Provides biographies, exhibition lists, bibliographies, and the addresses of 3,135 photographers. Includes a chronology of the history of photography, a lexicon of processes, and more than 5,900 images.

ART BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES BY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

Canada

A Dictionary of Canadian artists. Colin S. MacDonald. 1st ed. Ottawa: Canadian Paperbacks, 1967-. 7 vols. AH/C N6548.M28.1967 Reference
Encompasses native Canadians and foreign-born artists who have worked in Canada. Bibliographical references. Vols. 1-7 cover artists A - Sadowsky.

A Dictionary of Canadian artists. Colin S. MacDonald MacDonal. 5th ed., rev. & expanded. Ottawa : Canadian Paperbacks, 1997. AH/C N6548.M28 1997 Reference   v.1 (A-F) (1997)
Concise biographies. Entries include references.

Early painters and engravers in Canada. J. Russell Harper. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1970. AH/C N6548.H37 Reference
Covers artists born before 1867. Includes listings of exhibitions, public and semi-public collections, biographical references, and bibliographies.

China

Chinese painting: leading masters and principles. Osvald Siren. New York: Hacker Art Books, 1973 [1958]. 7 vols. AH/C ND1040.S49 Reference
Covers the major artists and their work from the first millennium through later centuries.

A Great biographic dictionary of Chinese artists = Zhongguo xian dai mei shu jia ren ming da ci dian. Lei Zhengmin. Xi'an: Shanxi ren min mei shu chu ban she, 1989. East Asian Library N7348.C7 1989 Reading Room
Contains 23,531 Chinese artists in China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan from 1919 to 1989. Divided into two parts, the first part includes 4,902 members of the Association of Chinese Artists regardless of locality. Arranged by stroke counts of artist’s name, each entry provides birth date, gender for female, birth place, ethnic group, specialty in art, education, work institution or affiliation, position, title, notable art works, and contributions to the field. The second part contains 18,327 artists. Arranged by province or major cities with information of name, birth date, birthplace, specialty, and work place only. The Appendix lists 302 artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. Indexes are provided for part one and the appendix. Includes a listing of the elected officials of the Association of Chinese Artists from the first to fourth terms at the end. Text in Chinese.

An Index-dictionary of Chinese artists, collectors, and connoisseurs, with character identification by modified stroke count. Nancy N. Seymour. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1988. AH/C N7348.S481 1988 Reference
Comprehensive resource, arranged alphabetically, of over 5,000 concise biographies, from the T'ang dynasty to modern times. Provides a simple methodology for Westerners to identify Chinese characters. Includes an index of artists' alternate names, a character index arranged alphabetically by romanized form, and a detailed chronology. Selected bibliography.

An Index of early Chinese painters and paintings. James Francis Cahill. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980. AH/C ND1040.C26 Reference
An effort to organize and index the great body of surviving Chinese paintings, from the T'ang period and earlier through the Yuan dynasty.

England & Ireland

A Dictionary of artists of the English school. Samuel Redgrave. New and rev. ed. Amsterdam, G. W. Hissink, 1970. AH/C N6796.R4 1878a Reference
Reprint of the fundamental 1878 publication. Covers English plus foreign-born artists who worked and exhibited in England from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. Includes painters, sculptors, architects, engravers and ornamentalists.

The Dictionary of British artists, 1880-1940: an Antique Collectors' Club research project listing 41,000 artists. J. Johnson and A. Greutzner. [Suffolk, Eng.]: Antique Collectors' Club, c1976. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6767.J63
Covers British artists, foreign artists working in Britain, and architects. Includes some artists' addresses.

Dictionary of British artists working 1900-1950. Waters, Grant M. Eastbourne: Eastbourne Fine Arts, 1975-1976. 2 vols. AH/C N6768.W261 Reference
Brief biographies for more than 5,500 lesser-known traditional and provincial artists. Some Irish artists included, as well as colonial and foreign-born artists who worked in Britain.

The Dictionary of 19th century British book illustrators and caricaturists. Simon Houfe. Rev. ed. Woodbridge, Eng.: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1996. Main Stack NC978.H65 1996
Covers major and minor artists. Includes a section for selected monograms and separate appendixes listing schools of illustration, specialist illustration, and famous books and their illustrators. General bibliography.

A Dictionary of British landscape painters from the 16th century to the early 20th century. Maurice Harold Grant. Leigh-on-Sea, Eng.: F. Lewis, 1952. AH/C ND1354.G72 Reference
Comprehensive list of landscape painters. Brief entries provided, including some foreign-born artists who worked in Britain.

Dictionary of British sculptors, 1660-1851. Rupert Gunnis. London: Odhams Press, 1953. AH/C NB496.G85 Reference
More than 1,700 biographies of major and minor sculptors. Includes name and place indices.

A Dictionary of British sculptors from the XIIth century to the XXth century. Maurice Harold Grant. London: Rockliff [1953]. Doe Reference [Biographies] NB496.G7
Selected entries. Includes an appendix of later sculptors plus an index to sitters and titles of sculptural works.

A Dictionary of Irish artists. Strickland, Walter G. Dublin, London: Maunsel & Co., Ltd, 1913. 2 vols. AH/C N6782.S7 Reference
Covers the lives and works of major and minor painters, sculptors, and engravers from the earliest times to the early 20th century. Includes artists of Irish birth living and working outside of Ireland.

Dictionary of Irish artists: 20th century. Theo Snoddy. Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1996. AH/C N6796.S65 1996 Reference
Substantial biographies provided for well and lesser-known artists, including some foreign-born who lived and worked in Ireland. Some signature facsimiles. Select bibliographies.

Dictionary of Victorian painters. Wood, Christopher. 2nd ed. Woodbridge, Eng.: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1978. AH/C ND467.W65 1978 Reference
Over 11,000 entries, covering 1837-1901. Includes exhibition, gallery and bibliographical references. Illustrated.

A Dictionary of watercolour painters, 1750-1900. Stanley W. Fisher. London, New York: Foulsham, 1972. AH/C ND1928.F54 Reference
Concise biographical entries on British-born and many foreign-born artists who worked in Britain.

20th century painters and sculptors. Frances Spalding; Woodbridge: Antique Collectors Club (Dictionary of British art ; v. 6) Doe Reference [Biographies] N6768.S68 1990
Brief entries on approximately 7,000 artists, covering a wide range of styles. Includes installation artists. Illustrated.

France

Dictionnaire biographique des artistes contemporains, 1910-1930.   Édouard-Joseph, René. Paris: Art & Édition, 1930-1934. 4 vols. (incl. suppl.). AH/C N40.E4 Reference
Covers mainly French artists, plus some foreign artists working in France. Some public auction prices and signatures. Illustrated.

Dictionnaire des petits maîtres de la peinture: 1820-1920. Gérald Schurr. Paris: Éditions de l'Amateur, 1996. 2 vols. AH/C ND457.S38 1996 Reference
Basic entries on primarily French minor artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes some European and American artists who worked in France during this period. The majority of entries have been culled and modified from the publication Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot, originated in 1891. Well-illustrated.

Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l’école française au dix-neuvième siècle. Stanislas Lami. Paris: É. Champion, 1914-21. 4 vols. AH/C NB552.L26 Reference
Biographies of 19th century sculptors of the École française. Includes detailed lists of works; some sales records.

Dictionnaire général des artistes de l’école française. Bellier de la Chavignerie, Émile & Louis Auvray. New York: Garland, 1979. 5 vols. AH/C N6852.B4 1979 Reference
Reprint of the 1882-1887 edition. Comprehensive resource for French architects, painters, sculptors, and printmakers from the late Middle Ages to 1882. Contains a recording of all works exhibited at the Paris Salon from its beginning in 1673 through 1882. Volume 5 provides a topographical index and list of artists.

An iconographic index to Stanislas Lami's Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'École française au dix-neuvième siècle. H. W. Janson. New York: Garland Pub., 1983 (Garland reference library of the humanities ; v. 364)
AH/C NB552.L333.J36 1983 Reference
Indexes the titles of artists' works cited in the Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'École française au dix-neuvième siècle.

Germany

Malerwerke des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte. Friedrich von Boetticher. Leipzig: H. Schmidt and C. Günther, 1941. 2 vols. in 4. AH/C ND587.B6 Reference
Brief biographical information on known and obscure 19th century painters. Most entries contain lists of paintings and prints, plus dimensions and locations of the artwork.

Italy

Dizionario illustrato dei pittori, disegnatori e incisori italiani moderni e contemporanei. Comanducci, Agostino Mario. 3rd ed. Milano: L.M. Patuzzi, 1962. 4 vols. AH/C ND617.C6 1962 Reference
Copiously illustrated dictionary of 19th and 20th century Italian painters, draftsmen, and engravers. Includes bibliographical references.

Indice ragionato delle Vite de' pittori e scultori ferraresi di Gerolamo Baruffaldi: artisti, opere, luoghi by Amalia Mezzetti, Emanuele Mattaliano. 3 vols. [Bergamo]: Cassa di risparmio di Ferrara, 1980-c1983. AH/C N6919.F4.B32.1980 Room 308G

Japan

Biographical dictionary of Japanese art. Yutaka Tazawa, ed. 1st ed. Tokyo: Kodansha International in collaboration with the International Society for Educational Information, 1981. AH/C N7358.B62 Reference
Broad survey ranges from Jomon and Yayoi cultures, Heian period, Kamakura shogunate, Edo period, and Meiji era to the present. Covers sculpture, painting, prints, architecture, ceramics, lacquer, textiles, metalwork, calligraphy, sword making, tea ceremony, and landscape gardening. Includes bibliography.

A Dictionary of Japanese artists. Laurance P. Roberts. 1st ed. Tokyo; New York: Weatherhill, 1976. AH/C N7358.R61 Reference
Comprehensive dictionary. Western names listed alphabetically. Includes an index of alternate names plus an index of artists' names as they appear in Japanese characters. Painting, sculpture, ceramics prints, and lacquer covered. Lists art periods of Japan, Korea and China. Extensive bibliography.

Warriors of art: a guide to contemporary Japanese artists. Yumi Yamaguchi; translated by Arthur Tanaka. 1st ed. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha, 2007. AH/C N7355.Y355 2007 Reference
Survey of forty contemporary Japanese artists, including a wide range of painters, sculptors, photographers, and performance artists..

Who’s who in modern Japanese prints. Francis Blakemore. 1st ed. New York: Weatherhill, 1975. Doe Reference [Biographies] NE771.B551

Latin America

Artists from Latin American cultures: a biographical dictionary. Kristin G. Congdon and Kara Kelley Hallmark. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002. AH/C N6502.5.C657 2002 Reference
75 renowned and obscure 20th century artists from the U.S., Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Covers painters, sculptors, photographers, muralists, printmakers, installation artists and performance artists. Entries include a bibliography and location of artist's work.

Latin American and Caribbean artists of the modern era: a biographical dictionary of over 12,700 persons. Steve Shipp. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2003. AH/C Reference & Doe Reference [Biographies] N6502.4.S45 2003
Comprehensive biographical dictionary of 19th and 20th century Latin American and Caribbean artists. Covers painters, watercolorists, muralists, sculptors, ceramists, photographers, graphic artists, multimedia artists, mixed-media artists, installation artists, tapestry designers, and architects. Illustrated.

Low Countries

Illustrated dictionary of 17th century Flemish painters.   J. de Maere & M. Wabbes. Jennifer A. Martin, ed. Brussels: Renaissance du livre, c1994. 3 vols. AH/C ND669.F5.M34 1994 Reference
Approximately 850 biographies of Flemish painters born between 1570 and 1670, plus some facsimiles of artists' signatures and monograms. Indexes include: locations of artists' works; charts of stylistic influences; chronological tables. Vols. 1-2 contain illustrations of artists' works. Selected bibliography.

Mexico

Repertorio de artistas en México: artes plásticas y decorativas. Guillermo Tovar de Teresa. [Mexico]: Grupo Financiero Bancomer, 1995-1997. 3 vols. Bancroft fN6558.T68 1995
Succinct entries for Mexican and foreign artists who have worked in Mexico, from the 16th century to the present. Excludes artists born after 1945. Covers the plastic and decorative arts. Selected bibliographies for each artist. Illustrated.

Netherlands

Niederländisches Künstler Lexikon. Alfred von Wurzbach. Wien, Leipzig: Halm und Goldmann, 1906-11. 3 vols. AH/C N6952.W9 Reference
Biographical data on Dutch and Flemish artists. Some bibliographies and lists of important works, including numerous facsimiles of signatures. Volume 3 includes anonymous masters and monogrammists.

North America

North American women artists of the twentieth century: a biographical dictionary. Jules and Nancy Heller. New York: Garland, 1995. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6503.N67 1995
Comprehensive work covers artists born before 1960, who lived and worked primarily in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. Many different media and styles are represented. Includes bibliographies for each entry. Illustrated.

Women artists of color: a bio-critical sourcebook to 20th century artists in the Americas. Phoebe Farris, ed. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999. AH/C N8354.W656 1999 Reference
Covers contemporary African American, Asian Pacific American, Latin American, and Native American artists. Media ranges from traditional painting and sculpture to video, conceptual, and performance art. Biographies followed by selected exhibitions, collections, publications, artist statement, and biographical essay.

Russia

A dictionary of Russian and Soviet artists 1420-1970. John Milner. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors' Club, 1993. AH/C ND681.M55 1993 Reference
Covers all media of arts, including costume and graphic design, in Russia and the former Soviet Union. Biographical information varies from very brief to detailed. Well illustrated with examples of artists's works.

Southeast Asia

Haks & Maris lexicon of foreign artists who visualized Indonesia, 1600-1950: surveying painters, watercolourists, draughtsmen, sculptors, illustrators, graphic, and industrial artists. Compiled by Leo Haks and Guus Maris. Singapore: Archipelago Press, 1995. AH/C N8214.5.I55.H35 1995 Reference
Compilation of professional and amateur artists who have either produced works in or outside of Indonesia. Selected images of artists' works.

Spain

Diccionario biográfico de ilustradores españoles del siglo XIX. Pedro Casado Cimiano. Madrid: Ollero y Ramos, 2006. AH/C NC987.C368 2006 Reference
Biographical dictionary of Spanish illustrators of the 19th century. Images representing selected artists. Spanish text.

Spanish artists from the fourth to the twentieth century: a critical dictionary. Frick Art Reference Library. New York: G.K. Hall, c1993-c1996. 4 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N7112.S67 1993
An annotated checklist of nearly 7,000 Spanish artists, based on the Frick Library's Authority File of Artists. Covers painters, draftsmen, sculptors, architects, printmakers and applied artists. Entries correspond to the contents of the Library's photographic archive. Includes general bibliography and comprehensive index.

Switzerland

Künstler Lexikon der Schweiz: XX. Jahrhundert. Eduard Plüss, & Hans Christoph von Tavel. Frauenfeld: Huber, 1958-1967. 2 vols. AH/C N7152.P54 Reference
Important biographical dictionary on 20th century Swiss artists.

Schweizerisches Künstler Lexikon. Carl Brun. Frauenfeld, Huber, 1905-1917; Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprints, 1967. 4 vols. AH/C N7152.B8 1967 Reference
Covers Swiss and foreign-born artists working in Switzerland. Covers a variety of media. Entries in German or French.

United States

Afro-American artists: a bio-bibliographical directory. Boston: Trustees of the Boston Public Library, 1973. Doe Reference [Biographies] & MAIN N6538.N5.C42

American engravers upon copper and steel. David McNeeley Stauffer. 3 vols. New York: B. Franklin, [1964]. AH/C NE505.S8 1964 Reference
Vol. 1: Biographical sketches, with selected illustrations of engravers' works; vol. 2: Check-list of the works of the earlier engravers; vol. 3: Biographical sketches and check-lists of engravings; a supplement to David McNeely Stauffer's American engravers upon copper and steel, by Mantle Fielding.

American engravers upon copper and steel: biographical sketches and check lists of engravings. Mantle Fielding. New York : B. Franklin, [1964], c1917. AH/C NE505.S8 1964 vol. 3 Reference, MAIN NE505.F5 1964
Biographical sketches and check lists of engravings; a supplement to David McNeely Stauffer's American engravers upon copper and steel.

American women artists: from the Indian times to the present. Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein. New York: Avon; Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall, 1982. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6505.R8 1982
Comprehensive chronological survey covers major sculptors and painters. Organized by historical periods. Traditional and avant-garde styles represented. Selected bibliography. Illustrated.

American women artists, past and present: a selected bibliographic guide. Eleanor Tufts. New York: Garland, 1984-1989. (Garland reference library of the humanities; v. 504, 1123) 2 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6505.A12.T8 1984
Volume one includes 500 well and lesser-known artists born between the late 17th century and the first half of the 20th century. Covers painters, sculptors, graphic artists, photographers and conceptual artists. Volume two comprises 1,200 artists, including women born in the 1950s, and supplements the first volume by augmenting entries.

American women sculptors: a history of women working in three dimensions. Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein. Boston, MA: G. K. Hall, 1990. AH/C NB236.R83.1990 Reference

Artists of the American West: a biographical dictionary. Doris Ostrander Dawdy. 1st ed. Chicago: Sage Books, [1974-1981]. 2 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6536.D381
Volume one covers approximately 1,350 painters, illustrators or printmakers born before 1900, famous and obscure, who painted in the American West. Volume two covers an additional 1,400 artists. Bibliography.

Arts in America: a bibliography. Bernard Karpel, ed. 4 vols. Washington: Archives of American Art, 1979. AH/C NX503.A12.A7 Reference

A Biographical history of African-American artists, A-Z. A.D. Macklin. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2001. AH/C Reference N6538.N5.M3 2001
Concise entries for obscure mid-nineteenth and 20th century artists. Bibliography. Some illustrations.

Black artists in the United States: an annotated bibliography of books, articles, and dissertations on Black artists, 1779-1979. Lenwood G. Davis. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980. MAIN N6538.N5.A12.D26

Contemporary American women sculptors. Virginia Watson-Jones. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 1986. AH/C Reference NB212.W371 1986
Concise biographies for over 300 established and emerging artists. Selected information on exhibitions, collections, and bibliographies. Geographic and media indexes. Illustrated.

Dictionary of contemporary American artists. Paul Cummings. 6th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6536.C8 1994
Covers 900 well-known artists. Annotated bibliography. Illustrated.

Encyclopedia of Arab American artists. Fayeq S. Oweis. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. AH/C Reference N6538.A73.O94 2008
An overview of approximately 100 Arab American artists, including artists' education, bibliographical information, and location of work.

Encyclopedia of Native American artists. Deborah Everett and Elayne Zorn. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. AH/C Reference N6538.A4.E94 2008
Biographies of 70 Native American artists, including artists' education, bibliographical information, and location of work.

The Illustrated biographical encyclopedia of artists of the American West. Peggy and Harold Samuels. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1976. AH/C Reference & Doe Reference [Biographies] N8214.5.U6S251

Mantle Fielding's dictionary of American painters, sculptors & engravers. Glenn B. Opitz, ed. 2nd ed. Poughkeepsie, NY: Apollo, 1986. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6536.F51 1986
Over 12,000 artists from the 18th through 20th centuries. Entries include birth and death dates, exhibitions, collections, education, and awards. Bibliography.

Masters of traditional arts: a biographical dictionary. Alan B. Govenar. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. 2 vols. AH/C NX511.5.G68 2001 Reference
Profiles of over 250 U.S. traditional artists, including every recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship from the past twenty years. Covers potters, weavers, quilters, santos carvers, mask makers, basket weavers, needleworkers, etc. Entries include anecdotes and personal stories. Selected bibliography, filmography, and discography.

The New York Historical Society's dictionary of artists in America, 1564-1860. George C. Groce, & David H. Wallace. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957. Doe Reference [Biographies] & MAIN N6536.N4
Brief entries on native or visiting foreign-born artists, covering painting, drawing and sketching, sculpture, engraving, lithography, and silhouette cutting.

250 years of Afro-American art: an annotated bibliography. Lynn Igoe. New York: Bowker, 1981. Doe Reference & MAIN N6538.N5.A12.I3

Who was who in American art. Peter H. Falk. Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1985. AH/C N6512.F26 1985 Reference
Compilation of the original 34 volumes of the American art annual: who's who in art. Covers artists active between 1898-1947. Biographical and historical data on nearly 25,000 artists, including craftspeople, photographers, cartoonists, curators, critics and educators.

Who was who in American art, 1564-1975: 400 years of artists in America. Peter Hasting Falk, editor-in-chief; Audrey Lewis, head of research; Georgia Kuchen, Veronika Roessler, senior editors. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1999. 3 vols. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6512.F261 1999

Who's who in American art. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1936-37-present. Formerly published in the American art annual; v. 4 issued as pt. 2 of v. 36 of the annual. Published every other year. Doe Reference [Biographies] & MAIN N6536.W5
Profiles 11,034 contributors to the visual arts in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Includes artists, administrators, consultants, critics, curators, dealers, historians, educators, lecturers, collectors, librarians and publishers. Indexes include: geographic; professional classifications; necrology.

Women artists in America: 18th century to the present (1790-1980). Jim Collins & Glenn B. Opitz, eds. Rev. and enl. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Apollo, 1980. Doe Reference [Biographies] N6536.C52 1980
Concise entries on 4,000 artists. Covers painters, sculptors, printmakers and ceramists. Illustrated.

Women artists in the United States: a selective bibliography and resource guide on the fine and decorative arts, 1750-1986. Paula L. Chiarmonte. Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall, 1990. (Reference publication in Art History). Doe Reference [Biographies] & MAIN N6536.A12.C55.1990

International

Il colore del silenzio: dizionario biografico internazionale degli artisti sordi. Anna Folchi and Roberto Rossetti. Milano: Electa, 2007. AH/C N8356.D43.C65 2007 Reference
International biographical dictionary of hearing impaired artists. Italian text.

Architects

African-American architects: a biographical dictionary 1865-1945. Dreck Spurlock Wilson. NY: Routledge, 2004. Doe Reference [Biographies] & Environmental Design NA736.A47 2004

American architects from the Civil War to the First World War: a guide to information sources. Lawrence Wodehouse. Detroit: Gale Research, 1976. Environmental Design Reference Desk NA710.A12.W6

American architects from the First World War to the present: a guide to information sources. Lawrence Wodehouse. Detroit: Gale Research, 1977. Environmental Design NA712.A12.W63

Avery obituary index of architects. Columbia University. 2nd ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980. Main & Environmental Design fNA40.A8 1980
Obituary notices for over 17,000 Western architects, including some eminent art historians, from the late 19th century to the present. Culled from all periodicals indexed through 1979 by the Avery Library. References to newspapers, primarily the New York Times.

Avery obituary index of architects and artists. Avery Library. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1963. Environmental Design Reference Desk fNA40.C6
Indexes obituaries found in newspapers and journals of architects, some artists and scholars. Earliest entries date to the early 19th century.

Biographical dictionary of American architects (deceased). Henry F. Withy. Los Angeles: New Age Pub. Co., 1956. AH/C Reference & Environmental Design Reference Desk NA40.W57

A Biographical dictionary of English architects, 1660-1840. Howard Montagu Colvin. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1996. Environmental Design NA964.C66 1996
Standard reference. Entries for approximately 2,000 architects who practiced in England, Scotland, and Wales from the time of Inigo Jones (1573-1650) to that of William Burn (1789-1870) and Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860).

Contemporary architects. Muriel Emanuel, ed. 3rd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1994. Environmental Design Reference Desk & Main NA680.C625 1994
More than 400 international architects who worked from 1920 to 1987. Entries include signature facsimile, lists of works, publications by and about the architect, a photograph of a representative building, plus a short passage written by the architect.

Macmillan encyclopedia of architects. Adolf K. Placzek, ed. New York: Free Press; London: Collier Macmillan, 1982. 4 vols. AH/C Reference, Doe Reference [Biographies], Environmental Design Reference Desk NA40.M25 1982
Illustrated biographies on architects worldwide born before December 30, 1931, or deceased. Scholarly entries include a list of works and bibliography. A building name index is located at the end of volume 4. Arranged alphabetically by architect's name.

Who’s who in architecture: from 1400 to the present day. J. M. Richards, ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977. Environmental Design Reference Desk NA40.W481

Artists' Monograms

American artists: signatures and monograms, 1800-1989. John Castagno. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1990. Doe Reference [Biographies] N45.C37 1990
A directory of 5,100 artists, with nearly 10,000 facsimiles of artists' signatures, monograms and estate stamps. Entries include artist's full name, plus dates of birth and death. Separate sections include alternate name cross-references, indecipherable signatures and symbols, and monograms.

Artists' monograms and indiscernible signatures: an international directory, 1800-1991. John Castagno. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1991. Doe Reference [Biographies] N45.C374 1991
International directory of 3,700 artists, including more than 5,200 signature facsimiles. Entries provide artist's nationality, dates of birth and death, and references to biographical, bibliographical and pictorial sources.

The classified directory of artists' signatures, symbols and monograms. H. H. Caplan. London: Prior, 1976. Doe Reference [Biographies] N45.C361
Signatures arranged alphabetically by artists’ last name. Monograms organized alphabetically by the first letter of the monogram.

European artists: signatures and monograms, 1800-1990, including selected artists from other parts of the world. John Castagno. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, c1990. Doe Reference [Biographies] N45.C38 1990
More than 4,800 European artists and selected artists, mostly from Australia, South Africa and Japan. Over 9,000 signature facsimiles. Entries include nationality, birth and death dates, bibliographical and pictorial references, and auction records. Separate cross-referenced sections include signatures in Cyrillic & Greek, and Chinese & Japanese.

Monogramm-lexikon: internationales Verzeichnis der Monogramme bildender Künstler seit 1850. Franz Goldstein. Berlin, DeGruyter, 1964. AH/C N45.G6 Reference
Takes up chronologically where Nagler (see entry 75) ends.

Die Monogrammisten. Georg Kaspar Nagler. Nieuwkoop: B. de Graaf, 1977. 6 vols. AH/C N40.N2 1977 Reference
Dictionary of artists’ monograms with chronological coverage to mid-19th century. Arranged alphabetically by first letter of monogram. Volume 6 is an alphabetical index to all artists covered.