In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Gallery is closed to the public until further notice. Learn more
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: 613-998-8949 or [email protected].
The resources marked with an asterisk * are created by the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.
Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (World Biographical Dictionary of Artists)
Art & Architecture Complete (inc. Art Index)
Art Index Retrospective
Art Sales Catalogues Online
Art Sales Index (ARTINFO)(currently unavailable)
ARTbibliographies Modern
ARTFL project (Project for American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language)
Artists in Canada *
artlibraries.net (Virtual Catalogue for Art History)
ArtNet
ARTstor
AskArt
BCIN (Conservation Information Network)
Bibliography of the History of Art
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950
Britannica Online
British Columbia Artists Database
CAA Reviews
Canadian Art at Auction Index (Heffel)
Canadian Art Sales Index Online
Canadian Souvenir View Albums *
Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art, The Canadian Art Database
Columbia Gazetteer of the World
Dictionary of Art Historians
Early Canadiana Online/Notre mémoire en ligne
Getty Research Portal
Gordon’s Print Price Annual (currently unavailable)
Index to Art in Canada to 1930 *
Inuit Art Foundation Artist Database - IAQ Profiles
Inuit Artists' Print Database *
JSTOR : the scholarly journal archive
Katilvik.com (Inuit art)
Lugt's répertoire online (via Art Sales Catalogues Online)
National Gallery of Canada electronic finding aids *
National Gallery of Canada Archives database *
National Gallery of Canada Bulletin 1963-1985 *
Oxford Art Online (inc. Grove Art Online)
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online
Oxford English Dictionary Online
Répertoire d'art et d'archéologie
SmartLibrary (National Capital Region of Canada)
WorldCat Art Discovery
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 (online only), 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. The texts are attached to the entries in the Artists in Canada database. Artists in Canada is compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, and hosted by the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN).
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, the scanning of the 8 printed volumes, the compilation of the new entries, and the loading of the entire contents into the Artists in Canada database.
Acknowledgments
The project to scan the Dictionary and to compile the additional entries was supported by the National Gallery of Canada Foundation and by CHIN.
Consult the entries in the Artists in Canada database.
Research and Bibliographic Projects
Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. The Library houses the editorial office for Canadian entries to the new edition of the dictionary.
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.
Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA). The Library is responsible for the contribution of new Canadian imprints to BHA.
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.
A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker. The over 5000 biographical entries from A to Smith in Colin S. MacDonald’s A Dictionary of Canadian Artists (8 volumes; Ottawa: Canadian Paperbacks, 1967–2006) have been scanned. Two Researcher/Writers have compiled new entries for artists from Smith to Z. All the entries have been uploaded into Artists in Canada. With support from the National Gallery of Canada Foundation and from CHIN.
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).