LibGuides: Art: Databases

Databases are great for finding information or resources that may be useful to your subject. In the databases, you will find peer-reviewed or scholarly articles for your research. You may also use a database to find full text articles, images, videos, and more.

To search through the databases, start with the FAU Libraries homepage and click on the Databases tab. You can then find a given database alphabetically or you can narrow your search for a database by clicking on the subjects dropdown menu.

Please note that databases are just containers that hold a small selection of journals, videos, and images. So you may need to search across a few databases to find all the information or resources on a given topic.

Searching for a Database

What are the differences between Journal, Journal Articles, and a Database?

An Electronic Journal (or E-journal) is a traditional journal that is in an electronic format; either because it was originally created that way, or because someone took a print journal article and scanned it to make it available electronically.

A Database is what is created when a large number of electronic journals are put in one place and a search interface (usually a search box) is added to help find what you need. Both databases and electronic journals can be subject specific. When you have a database that only has the title or abstract, but not the full text, it is usually referred to as an Index.

Databases Specific to Art

Below is a list of databases specific to art that you may find helpful in your search. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list but rather a starting point for your research.

Art Index Retrospective This resource provides users access to over half a century of art literature covering fine, decorative, and commercial art. Content includes high-quality indexing of nearly 600 publications, many of which are peer-reviewed, and citations of over 25,000 book reviews.
Ceramic Abstracts Comprehensive database for the ceramics industry. Source materials include over 3000 journals, proceedings, patents, standards and industry literature.
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms Access is limited to three (3) users. Featuring clear definitions of movements and media, from Baroque to Minimalism, aquatint to raku, and canvas to Venetian glass, this publication provides succinct and accessible explanations of art terms.
Fine Arts (Gale OneFile) With more than 100 full-text magazines and journals covered, this collection provides resources to support research in areas such as drama, music, art history, and filmmaking.
Oxford Art Online Access is limited to three (3) simultaneous users. We are entitled to access to ONLY Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
Oxford Companion to Western Art Access is limited to three (3) simultaneous users. Contains more than 2,600 entries, and provides discriminating and reliable coverage of over 1,700 artists and their work. Articles give fresh treatment to topics of contemporary interest, including art movements, theory, and criticism. In addition to thorough regional and cultural surveys, this publication lists all relevant museums and galleries under the city of their location, such as Barcelona and Moscow.

General Databases

Below is a list of general databases (this means that they contain many resources related to many subjects-not just art) that you may find helpful in your search. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list but rather a starting point for your research.

Academic Search Complete Academic Search Premier, designed specifically for academic institutions, is the world's largest scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for nearly 4,700 publications, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed publications. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study.
Expanded Academic ASAP Includes scholarly journals, news magazines and newspaper articles regarding arts and humanities, social sciences and science and technology disciplines.
Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 This resource offers a broad range of subject coverage in the humanities and social sciences with high-quality indexing of more than 1,300,000 articles in nearly 1,100 periodicals, dating as far back as 1907, as well as citations of over 240,000 book reviews.
Humanities Source Includes Humanities Full Text, Humanities Index Retrospective and additional content. Subject areas include archaeology, area studies, art, classical studies, communications, dance, film, folklore, gender studies, history, journalism, linguistics, literary and social criticism literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, religion and theology. Funded by Florida Virtual Campus. 
JSTOR More than 2000 scholarly journals in education, humanities, mathematics, science, and social science disciplines. Most full-text access is archival; some current full text. Also includes a collection of over 500 Spanish-language e-books, which are student tech fee funded.
Project Muse A collection of scholarly journals and books in humanities, mathematics and social science disciplines.
WorldCat The world's most comprehensive bibliography, with over 48 million bibliographic records representing over 400 languages and covering information from 4,000 years of knowledge. Good for locating items at other libraries for interlibrary loan.

Other Databases outside of FAU

The Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA) are available free of charge on the Getty Web site, covering European and American visual arts material published between 1975 and 2007.

Use the Getty Union List of Artist Names to

identify individual artists and corporate bodies,
search for artists by their "roles" (i.e., printmaker, sculptor, engraver, etc.),
search for artists by nationality,
see representative works by an artist (be aware of copyright restrictions for re-use).

See the FAQs at this site for assistance on how to use and read this list.

View and learn more about other Getty Vocabularies and the Getty Research Institute.

Last updated on May 29, 2025 9:15 AM