Skip to Main Content

Researching Art & Artists: Find Web Sites

For students researching visual art and artists.

Art Web Sites

Below are a few high-quality Web sites focusing on visual arts, photography, and architecture.

Web Research: Proceed With Caution

Searching the Web is so easy and immediate; it is often the first place we look for information. There is a lot of invaluable information on the Web, too, including primary source documents, current news stories, images, government reports, and more. 

Using the Web to find art criticism is problematic. Although there are wonderful scholarly and substantive sources of information on the Web, there is also a lot of content produced by students and/or enthusiasts who lack the proper authority and credentials to use as sources for academic work.

When you do use the Web, be meticulous about thoroughly evaluating everything you are considering as a source.

Search Engine Tips

Nobody has time to wade through millions of Web pages.  By using a few simple strategies--and your search engine's advanced search form--you can begin retrieving more relevant and more credible Web pages.

•Limit your searches by domain.  Web pages originating in the governmental (.gov) or educational (.edu) realm are a good place to look for credible information.  You still have to evaluate everything, as inaccurate and biased information exists in every domain.

•Limiting searches to PDF documents will often retrieve information that has been previously published. Previously published information is nice because it has often been through an editorial process.

•Using precise search terms and scholarly language will also help retrieve more relevant and academically appropriate documents.

•Try searching for documents that have your search terms in their titles, as they will often be more relevant.