art pathfinder
The White House’s collection of fine and decorative arts
Artsonia
Online art museum empowers students to exhibit, explain their work
Baroque Composers and Musicians
Recommended by musical biographer Donna Getzinger
Detroit Institute of Arts
The arts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and more
La Couteriere Parisienne
History of Costume and Fashion
National Museum of African Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Displays collections, exhibitions and activities
Smarthistory
A free resource for the study of art history created by art historians Beth Harris and Steven Zucker
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Research and search American art
Below are excellent web resources for art and art history research and study. They were chosen specifically for excellent visual content.
Excellent image database developed by staff at the Watzek Library at Lewis & Clark College in Portland focuses on contemporary ceramic work. Search by method, material, artist name, object type, and even temperature! This is a beautiful site with great inspiration for ceramic artists.
Artsy
Beautifully designed, this site has descriptions and examples of work from over 25,000 artists, including many contemporary artists. Artsy relates artists to each other and to art historical movements and contemporary styles through the Art Genome Project. There is a commercial element to the site, but it does not detract from the content. Artsy is free but requires login.
Bibliography of the History of Art/International Bibliography of Art
A comprehensive tool for Western art history research, provided by the Getty Research Institute
Cooper Hewitt Museum
The Cooper-Hewitt collection is international in scope, includes both historic and contemporary design, and includes one-of-a-kind and mass-produced items. The collection focuses on drawings, prints and graphic works; product design, textiles, and wall coverings.
Google Arts & Culture
A unique collaboration of over 150 acclaimed art museums in 40 countries. The search capabilities are very clunky and it is recommended to use the Search by Museum category to browse. Create and share your own “collections.”
Guggenheim Museum – Online Collections
Excellent resource for the study of international contemporary art and artists
Kinder Art
Art lessons for kids and teenagers — lessons are categorized by age, medium and grade
Metropolitan Museum of Art — Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Outstanding resource for research on many art historical periods including ancient Egypt artifacts, Greek and Roman art, Byzantine, Renaissance, Asian and Central Asian art, 19th Century art movements, fashion, weaponry, and many other topics up to the early 20th century.
Metropolitan Museum of Art — Met Publications
569 full-text art history publications free online
Metropolitan Museum of Art Online Collections
Outstanding online collections from the Met. Categories include: Islamic Art, Decorative Arts, American Painting & Sculpture, European Painting, the Costume Institute, Drawings & Prints, Africa, Oceania & the Americas, Egyptian Art, Musical Instruments, and others.
Mother of All Art and Art History Links
Developed by the University of Michigan School of Art and Design, Mother of All is an extensive set of links to research resources, image collections, online digital art, art schools, art departments, and art museums.
Museum of Art & Design (was American Craft Museum) Online Collections
Fantastic resource for the study of American craft and its international influences, including ceramics, textile arts, jewelry, and domestic arts
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Excellent resource for contemporary art, artists, and thematic exhibits
Museum of Modern Art Online Learning
Outstanding resource for research on modern art and its influences worldwide, up to the present
National Gallery of Art
A repository of digital images of the collections of the National Gallery of Art
The New Museum
Excellent resource on contemporary art, artists, and cutting-edge thematic exhibits
Smarthistory
Smarthistory.org is a free and open, not-for-profit, art history textbook using multimedia to deliver unscripted conversations between art historians about the history of art
Smithsonian Museum of American Art
Excellent collection of material about art and artists in the US from multiple national collections housed at the Smithsonian Institute
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
A searchable database of more than 80,000 portrait records
Tate Collection
Beautifully designed online library of the Tate’s collections covering art from 1500 to contemporary works. Searchable by artist name, genres, subject terms, with excellent images and descriptions.
Whitney Museum of American Art Online Collections
Excellent resource for research on contemporary art and artists in the U.S.
World Digital Library
Free access to manuscripts, rare books, maps, photographs, and other important cultural documents from all countries