Research Guides: Art Conservation: Find Sources

Find Citations for Art Conservation Literature

BCIN, The Bibliographic Database of The Conservation Information Network This link opens in a new window
Why search here? The main resource for locating scholarship on the conservation, preservation and restoration of cultural property.
Content type: Abstracts of scholarly articles and books
Language: English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Dutch, etc.

CAMEO - Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online
CAMEO includes 3 databases: 1) The MATERIALS database contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on over 10,000 historic and contemporary materials used in the production and conservation of artistic, architectural, archaeological, and anthropological materials. 2) a DIRECTORY of conservation-related organizations 3) a repository of information on FORBES' PIGMENTS. Created by MFA Boston

Find Materials Information

CAMEO - Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online
CAMEO includes 3 databases: 1) The MATERIALS database contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on over 10,000 historic and contemporary materials used in the production and conservation of artistic, architectural, archaeological, and anthropological materials. 2) a DIRECTORY of conservation-related organizations 3) a repository of information on FORBES' PIGMENTS. Created by MFA Boston

Browse Art Conservation Journals/Magazines

Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies
A peer-reviewed, open access journal that includes research on conservation science, artifact studies, restoration, museum studies, environment studies, collection management, and curation.
e-conservation journal
Open-access, peer reviewed journal on conservation.
Getty Conservation Inst. e-bulletin
Bimonthly bulletin that gives updates on the Getty Conservation Institute's activities.
Getty Conservation Inst. Newsletter
Features articles and discussions on areas of conservation practice and on projects and activities of the Getty Conservation Institute.
Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
A peer-reviewed journal including technical studies, research papers, treatment case studies, ethics and standards discussions relating to the field of conservation. Use the "Continues" links to find issues before 1977
Getty Conservation Institute PDF Publications
This list includes publications about scientific research, conference proceedings, case studies, project reports, bibliographies, and woks on aspects of the conservation process.

Find articles in art magazines and scholarly journals

Remember that some art journals are magazines are only in print. Use the "Get This Item" button to link to full text or to request a PDF.

Besides the resources below, you can browse a partial listing of the Library's art journal subscriptions.

Art Full Text This link opens in a new window
Why search here? The main database for Art research, including art scholarship about all time periods and geographies.
Content type: Scholarly articles, trade journal articles, magazine articles
Coverage dates: 1900s-present
Also includes content on museum studies, graphic arts, industrial design, landscape architecture, television and motion pictures
Language: English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, etc.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary but includes lots of art scholarship
Language: English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, French, Chinese, Arabic etc.
Keywords: ASP
ARTbibliographies Modern This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good starting point for finding articles, both scholarly and popular, on modern and contemporary art (19th century to present).
Content type: Scholarly articles, trade journal articles, magazine articles
Coverage dates: 1960s-present
Beyond fine arts, includes publications that discuss graffiti, theatre arts, crafts, museums, and art conservation.
Language: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, etc.
Keywords: Art Bibliographies
International Bibliography of Art (IBA) This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Search this resource for sources about Western art (late antiquity to present), American art (colonial era-present), and global art since 1945.
Content type: Abstracts of scholarly articles, books, conference proceedings
Coverage dates: 1949-present
Language: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, etc

Complete List of Art Databases

Find Art Images

JSTOR Images This link opens in a new window
Why search here? The future home of ARTstor, this database is the main resource for finding high-resolution art images from all periods and regions.
Content type: Images
Beyond fine arts, the database does include images of historical documents, textiles, architecture, and other historical objects.
Language: English
Keywords: Art Stor Digital Library

Wikimedia Commons
Database of over 34 million freely usable media files. Keep in mind that anyone can contribute to this resource.

Tip: Also try searching museum image collections, some of which provide high-quality image downloads. Some examples are:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Getty Museum
The National Gallery
Tate Modern

Additionally, be sure to use art responsibly and check the image's copyright.