Searching the library catalogue

To do a basic search for biographical information about an artist choose Subject Keyword in the scroll down search menu and enter the artist’s last name first eg. Rego, Paula. This will retrieve works of which the artist is the subject. A General Keyword search is a broader search that will locate works by or related to the artist. 

Art Databases

ANZ Reference Centre includes the full text of local and national newspapers and is a good source for Tasmanian and Australian artists
ART Bibliographies Modern is a good source for articles on international artists
OXford Art Online and CREDO reference are good sources for major international artists
Ozbiogs is a good source for Australian artists

Videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs

These are available for loan from the library and are searchable through the library catalogue. The collection includes video recordings of Art Forum lectures that are presented at the School of Art School in Hobart and may contain useful biographical information. Search for the artist under Author Alphabetical in the Basic Search drop down menu.

Exhibition catalogues

Exhibition catalogues can be extremely useful sources of biographical information. The library holds some exhibition catalogues in the general collection. The Carington Smith (Art) Library also collects catalogues pertaining to university exhibitions, often featuring Tasmanian and Australian artists. Held in the library reference section they are organised in chronological order and can be accessed through the printed index or by browsing the shelves. It is also worth checking newspaper indexes to see if the show was reviewed, especially if you are unsure of the exhibition date.

Finding sources on the web

Searching the Web

Subject directories are useful for browsing a subject area and providing an overview of online information resources available. Subject directories will also allow you to search for a particular artist.

Yahoo!’s Arts Directory

Search engines are not so good for browsing but are useful tools for finding information about specific artists. Use advanced search features to conduct a more precise search.

Be aware that not all information is available online and not all information is accessible through search engines or subject directories Additionally no single search engine covers the entire web, so try more than one or use a Meta Search Engine such as:

Dogpile

Meta search engines search a number of search engines at once. Results may lack depth because meta search engines tend to only retrieve the first few results from each search engine.

Tasmanian and Australian Biographical Sources

ANZ Reference Centre

ANZ includes the full text of local and national newspapers and is a good source for Tasmanian and Australian artists

Dictionary of Australian Artists Online

DAAO is an open access and dynamic scholarly reference work which provides biographical data, contextual information, commentary and images on Australian artists.

Tasmanian Index (Newspapers and Journals)

Provided by the State Library of Tasmania this index is useful for locating articles about Tasmanian artists, especially lesser known artists.

National Association for the Visual Arts

A gateway to Australian visual arts and craft.

International Biographical Sources

AskArt

Biographical information for over 32 000 American artists including names of artists, their birth and death dates and museum holdings dealers, auction houses, galleries, and museums in the United States. Limited information available to non-subscribers.

Artcyclopedia

Gateway to artists, museums, galleries and information on the arts. Includes biographical resources and a glossary of fine art terms.

Distinguished Women

Biographies of distinguished women in art and other fields.

World Art Treasures

Art images and biographies of artists.

World Wide Art Resources

Includes information about 15,000 artists and their work.