Provenance: Biographies

Resources to discover the history of the ownership of works of art

About this Page

An artist's or collector's biographical information may include clues about when and from whom a work was acquired and when and to whom it was transferred.

This page links to sources that can be serached to locate biographical information.

Tools for Locating Biographies

Dictionary of Artists
A 14-volume resource of artist biographies.
Omni, the Library's catalogue
Search the artist's name and "biography" in the subject field.
Artists in Canada
Compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library, this list contains the location of biographical information for over 42,700 Canadian artists.