13 Best Art History Websites!
There is absolutely a ton of quality online material for art students, educators and enthusiasts. The following websites exude the very best in art history content:
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp
Check out the official Website of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Navigate from the homepage, to take a virtual reality tour, shop for souvenirs and books, make a charitable donation, or plan a visit. If you want to check out the Met’s permanent collection, you can browse art and artifacts by curatorial department, or search the database for individual pieces.
2. Artcyclopedia: The guide to museum quality art history information
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
One of the most comprehensive guides to art online, Artcyclopedia provides some 95,000 links to 180,000 world masterpieces. Browse over 8,200 artists by name, movement, medium, or nationality; search on titles of works or search by world region to connect with the world’s most famous museums–from the Louvre to the Rijksmuseum. Regular posts provide you with art world news and articles on famous artists and artistic movements.
3. World Art Treasures (Historical art)
http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/index.html
An educational site built in memory of art historian/collector Jacques-Edouard Berger (1945-1993), The Berger Foundation World Art Treasures site offers access to slides from Berger’s personal collection. Browse slides by region, artist, or historical period (artifacts from ancient Egypt, China, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, and Japan are well-represented in Berger’s collection). Other highlights include historical notes and timelines, as well as lectures and essays by Berger and colleagues.
4. The Getty Museum: Art History
http://www.getty.edu/
One of the largest supporters of the arts worldwide, the J. Paul Getty Trust maintains a Website with information on the Getty Museum and Research Institute (both in Los Angeles). You can check out events calendars, subscribe to the Getty’s e-newsletter, or take advantage of other online resources. Browse artists by name, medium, or theme–or check out the Getty’s collection overview. You can also order museum publications, apply for grants, or volunteer at the Getty.
5. Voice of the Shuttle: Art & Art History
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=3404
Launched in 1994 to serve humanities research online, Voice of the Shuttle (VoS) is an evolving online database with links to art history resources around the world. Link to famous art museums, galleries, research institutes, and auction houses. You can also link to the homepages of contemporary art journals, and world-renowned university art departments.
6. About.com: Art History
http://arthistory.about.com/?once=true&
From the site that has it all, a category for Art History! At About.com’s Art History site, you’ll find short artist bios as well as more extensive guides to figures of the art world–from artists and their patrons to famous models and forgers). You can also check out online overviews and timelines of artistic movements, user articles on art and culture, and extensive links to shopping for art online.
7. Smithsonian American Art Museum: Art History
http://www.americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm
Here you’ll find the website of the Smithsonian American Art Museum–the first federal museum dedicated to American art. Plan your visit online, or check out what’s new at the SAAM. Browse by category or search by artist name, work title, keyword, or accession number. You can also check out a full program calendar of traveling exhibitions, guest lecturers, and special performances or shop SAAM online for books, postcards, and souvenirs.
8. Library of Congress: Art History
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Organized by the Library of Congress, American Memory is a multimedia website providing free online access to more than 9 million digitized photographs, manuscripts, recordings, books, pamphlets, and other cultural treasures from the Library of Congress and other institutional collections. Browse 100 collections by subject, creator, time period, or geographic location–or search across multiple collections. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use American Memory’s Ask a Librarian feature to chat with librarians online.
9. Art History Network
http://www.arthistory.net/index.html
Arthistory.net brings together numerous art history resources from the World Wide Web. Here you can link to the homepages of art schools and galleries in Seattle, San Francisco, Savannah, Atlanta, and Chicago, or browse galleries by state. You can also link to articles on art history by historical period, cultural movement, or world region.
10. Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids: Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/new_pyramid/pyramids/html/el_pyramid_intro.htm
An offshoot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s main site, Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids provides online access to images and descriptions of forty-one artifacts from the Met’s Egyptian exhibit. Drawn from over thirty museums in Egypt, Europe, and North America, the artifacts showcase the art history of Egypt’s Old Kingdom (roughly 2650-2150 B.C.)–from 3D models of pyramid complexes, to images of royal statues, sculpture, and jewelry.
11. Legacy of Genghis Khan: Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={36C74128-EEF8-11D5-9414-00902786BF44}
An excellent online resource from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Legacy of Genghis Khan traces the artistic influence of the Yuan dynasty on the art and culture of Iran’s medieval Ilkhanid rulers from 1256 to1353. Check out images and descriptions of illuminated manuscripts and decorative arts of the period–from textiles and metalwork to woodwork and ceramics. You can also hear audio descriptions and read the exhibition’s introductory essay for a historical overview.
12. The Glory of Byzantium: Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Byzantium/byzhome.html
The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than 1,000 years and produced a flourishing artistic culture. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s online survey of Byzantium explores art from the two golden ages of Byzantium (324-740 and 843-1261) as well as the late period. You can browse artwork arranged by theme or period, read historical notes and descriptions, and even arrange classroom activities.
13. Cleopatra: Art History of the Ancient World
http://www.artic.edu/cleo/index.html
Named for Egypt’s last and most famous queen, Cleopatra is a multimedia guide to the Ancient Art Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Here you can view art and artifacts from ancient Greece, Egypt, and Italy. Browse artifacts on a timeline or by geographic region. Images of artifacts include short descriptions and audio-visual commentary on ancient art, culture, and life.
If you liked this post please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed.
Share your thoughts about "13 Best Art History Websites!"
None yet, geterdun!
Share your thoughts