Captioning & Citing Artworks in MLA: Home

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When you include images of artwork in your paper, you need to do more than just paste them into your document. Every image must have a caption that provides key details about the artwork, and in some cases you must also cite the source of the image in your Works Cited list. Captioning and citation helps give proper credit to the artist and the museum, and it ensures your work meets academic standards. Detailed instructions on how to caption and cite artwork in MLA format are provided below.

MLA Rules for Captioning Works of Art

MLA has codified rules for illustrations, which is what they call reproductions of art such as paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures that you include in your paper. All illustrations should be captioned, with the captions placed below the image in your work. Captions include the following elements: 

Label - Illustrations are referred to as "Figures." Use the abbreviation "Fig." followed by a number. If you have multiple figures they will be numbered in order of appearance in your document. Ex. Fig.1

Creator - Name of artist

Title or description of the image -  Italicize the title of the illustration. If the title is unknown use a descriptive phrase in place of the title. 

Date - Provide the year the artwork was created, if known.

Medium - You can include the medium (e.g., oil on canvas, photograph) if it's relevant or if it's a crucial part of the description, but it is not required.  

Institute and Location - If the artwork is housed in a specific museum or collection, include the name of the institution where the artwork can be found. 

There are two methods used for captioning in MLA. The formats are based on whether you are including the full bibliographic information about the work within the caption, or creating a brief caption and also including an entry in your Works Cited list. 

If you are tasked with including the full bibliographic details of your illustration in the caption, you should punctuate it like a Works Cited list entry.

Use this format: Fig.#. First and Last Name. Title. Date, Location. 

Ex.1 

If you are going to include a full bibliographic entry in your Works Cited list the format is similar but the punctuation will change and you can omit the location from the caption.

Use this format: Fig.#. First and Last Name, Title, Date.

Ex. 2 

If you need to include the medium or other pertinent descriptive elements of the artwork, place that information between the title and the date. Remember that punctuation matters. So if you are including full citation information in your caption, use a period after the information. If you including the full citation in your Works Cited list, use a comma.

Example: Full bibliographic information caption

Fig.1. Paul Gauguin. Arii Matamoe (The Royal End). Oil on Coarse Fabric. 1892, Getty Center.

Example: Partial bibliographic information caption

Fig. 2. Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida, Oil on Masonite board, 1954.

MLA Rules for Citing Works of Art

Citing artwork uses the same information that was collected to write your caption, but the source of your image will change how it gets cited and whether or not you need to include additional information. Punctuation is also different for each source, so pay close attention to each.

Viewed in a physical museum or gallery

• Format: Last name, First name. Title. Date, Organization, Location. 

Example: Gauguin, Paul. Arii Matamoe (The Royal End). 1892, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Viewed on an online source like a museum or gallery web site

• Format: Last name, First name. Title. Date. Organization, website address. 

Example: Kahlo, Frida. Viva la Vida. 1954. Museo Frida  Kahlo, https://www.museofridakahlo.org.mx/frida/?lang=en.  

Viewed in a book 

• Format for a physical book:  
  Last name, First name. Title. Date. Organization. Title of book, by author First and Last name, publisher, year of publication, page number. 

Example: Kahlo, Frida. Viva la Vida. 1954. Museo Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo - Detrás Del Espejo, by Gerry Souter, Parkstone International, 2018, p.197.

• Format for electronic book:  
  Last name, First name. Title. Date. Organization. Title of book, by author First and Last name, publisher, year of publication, page number. Database, website address.

Example: Kahlo, Frida. Viva la Vida. 1954. Museo Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo - Detrás Del Espejo, by Gerry Souter, Parkstone International, 2018, p.197. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=2c14d3fc-722d-359b-9150-dbc227d9d33b. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

Citing Other Common Art Resources

Art Exhibit

Images from permanent exhibitions and/or traveling exhibitions are cited the same way, following the format below. In many cases though the opening or closing dates may be unknown. In that instance, it is okay to not have a publication date in your citation. If you know one of the dates but not the other, include a hyphen and a space either before or after the date depending on if it is the opening or closing date.   

• Format: Last Name, First Name. Title of Exhibition. Publication Dates, Organization, Location.
• Example of exhibition with single artist:
  Freidrich, Casper David. Casper David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature. 8 Feb. - 11 May 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. 
   
• Example of exhibition with multiple artists: 
  Dirty & Disorderly: Contemporary Artists on Disgust. Mass MOCA, North Adams. 

If you are citing specific artwork from an exhibition include the name of the artist and the title.      

• Example: Freidrich, Casper David. Morning Mist in the Mountains. Casper David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature. 8 Feb. - 11 May 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. 

Print Book by One Author

Format: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date

Example: Cottington, David. The Avant-Garde: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2013

Entry in a Print Reference Work 

Format: Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Reference Work, Other contributors, Publisher, Publication Date, page #s.

Example: Green, Christopher. "Cubism." Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner, vol.8, Grove, 1996, 239-247.