Research Publications and Resources

Digital and Electronic Resources

Access may be restricted to National Gallery of Canada staff. For further information, please consult the Reference Desk: 613-714-8949 or [email protected].

The resources marked with an asterisk * are created by the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.

National Gallery of Canada Review

Online ISSN: 2369-8985

National Gallery of Canada Review is the official scholarly journal of the National Gallery of Canada. Its purpose is to publish original research on works in the Gallery’s collections and the areas of investigation they represent. Articles are contributed by members of the Gallery staff. Contributions from art historians and specialists not affiliated with the NGC will be considered.

 
The National Gallery of Canada Review is a bilingual online journal. Articles can be submitted in English or French and will be published in both languages. Learn more 

A Dictionary of Canadian Artists

A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1–8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker.

Introduction

This resource contains over 5000 biographical entries for Canadian artists. Most of the entries, for artists from ‘A’ to ‘Smith’, have been compiled by Colin S. MacDonald and published in his Dictionary of Canadian Artists (8 volumes. Ottawa: Canadian Paperbacks, 1967–2006). 250 entries, for artists from ‘Smith’ to ‘Z’, have been researched and written by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker. To request biographies, please contact the Library and Archives.

History

In 1961 Colin S. MacDonald began documenting the biographies of Canadian artists, beginning with the letter ‘A’. While planning the Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Mr. MacDonald consulted with the late John Russell Harper, former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada. Originally conceived as a complement to Harper’s published work, the Dictionary remains the only substantial biographical work on thousands of Canadian painters, engravers, sculptors, carvers and potters.

Mr. MacDonald carried out much of the research by himself using resources such as newspaper clippings, press releases, obituaries, exhibition notices and artists’ resumes held in files maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives. He also derived information from personal interviews and questionnaires.

Between 2007 and 2009, the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives proceeded with the acquisition of the copyright in the Dictionary of Canadian Artists and the compilation of the new entries.

Research and Bibliographic Projects

Artists in Canada. Bilingual union list that identifies the location of documentation files on over 42,700 Canadian artists. Compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library and hosted by the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN). See also: A Dictionary of Canadian Artists.

Canadian Souvenir View Albums. Digital collection of selected Canadian souvenir view albums, drawn from the Library’s collection. With support from Canada’s Digital Collections, Industry Canada.

Digital National Gallery of Canada Bulletin and Annual Bulletin. Digitisation of the National Gallery of Canada Bulletin and Annual Bulletin, published between 1963 and 1985, has been carried out by the Library. The Bulletin contains illustrated articles dealing with works of art in the NGC's collections, as well as articles on other topics in the field of fine arts. With support from Canada's Digital Collections, Industry Canada.

Digital Collection of National Gallery of Canada Exhibition Catalogues, 1880–1930. The National Gallery has digitized the first fifty years of published catalogues and unpublished checklists for exhibitions organized by or shown at the National Gallery from 1880 to 1930. Approximately 120 installation photographs for the exhibitions of this period have also been scanned. The digitized catalogues are accessible from the Library’s online catalogue. With support from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, New York.

History of Art Libraries in Canada. A national project of ARLIS/Canada, sponsored by the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, with additional special project funding from the Art Libraries Society of North America. Includes a range of essays by Canadian art librarians, presenting research on the bibliography of Canadian art, the history of Canadian art libraries and their collections, biographies of pioneers in the field of Canadian art librarianship, and a chronology of art library development in Canada.

Index to Art in Canada to 1930. Provides an index to works of art listed in Canadian exhibition, auction and collection catalogues, from 1823 up to and including 1930.

Inuit Artists' Print Database. Online index to the print production of the Canadian Arctic from 1957 to 2003, compiled by Sandra Buhai Barz, New York.

Occasional Papers Series

No. 1. Library and Archives Collection Development Policy. 1997 pdf version

No. 2. Index to the National Gallery of Canada Bulletin and Annual Bulletin, by Maija Vilcins, introduction by Jo Beglo. 1998. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore)

No. 3. Artists in Canada: a Union List of Artists' Files, by Cyndie Campbell and Sylvie Roy. 1999.

No. 4. Art at Auction: a Bibliographical Listing of Nineteenth-Century Canadian Catalogues, by Jonathan Franklin. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore)

No. 5. Photographs Exhibited in Britain 1839-1865: A compendium of Photographers and their works, by Roger Taylor. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore). Online database version .

No. 6. Index to Nineteenth-Century Canadian Catalogues of Art, by Jonathan Franklin. Index by artist to works of art exhibited in Canada during the19th century and recorded in contemporary exhibition and auction catalogues. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore). Online database version: Index to Art in Canada to 1930.

No 7. Index to National Gallery of Canada Exhibition Catalogues and Checklists 1880-1930, by Philip Dombowsky. An index of catalogues and checklists for exhibitions held at or organized by the National Gallery of Canada between 1880 and 1930. The index is arranged alphabetically by artist and consists of over 10,200 entries. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore). Online database version: Index to Art in Canada to 1930.

No 8. Garry Neill Kennedy: Printed Matter 1971–2009, by Peter Trepanier. Produced in consultation with Garry Neill Kennedy, this publication includes printed matter designed by the artist, including books, pamphlets, leaflets, sheets, cards, posters, and wallpaper. Entries are arranged chronologically by date of production and are followed by descriptive notes, as well as valuable new information supplied by the artist. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore).

No 9. M.C. Escher’s Letters to Canada, 1958–1972, by Cyndie Campbell. A selection of 33 letters from artist M.C. Escher to his son George, dating from 1958, when George Escher moved to Canada from the Netherlands, until 1972, when M.C. Escher died. The letters range over many subjects – art, books, events, and personalities, as well as family matters – and they offer a distinctly personal insight into the life and mind of this artist, whose meticulously wrought images continue to intrigue and delight the public. The publication includes colour illustrations of art by M.C. Escher mentioned in the text, as well as family photographs. (Available from the Gallery Bookstore).

Digital Occasional Papers

No. 1. Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006. Publications and Editions list by Art Metropole Board Members Fern Bayer (Secretary) and Peggy Gale (President). 2006.