Research guides: Provenance: Articles

Find Journal Articles

Scholarly journal articles are refereed (or peer-reviewed); an article is reviewed by a scholar in the field before publication.

The Fine Arts Databases can be used to identify articles that may contain clues.

Art Full Text
Articles on art, art history, advertising art, painting, graphic design, architecture, and museum studies.
Coverage: Indexing/abstract from 1929. Full Text 1995 - present
Coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish. In addition to articles, this database indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.
ARTbibliographies Modern
Abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogues, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art.
Coverage: 1974 - present
Scope begins with 19th century art movements and covers all aspects of modern and contemporary art, including performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artists' books, theater arts, crafts, jewelry, illustration, and more, as well as the traditional fine arts of painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.
BHA and RILA
Indexes scholarship relating to European and American visual arts from late antiquity to the present.
Coverage: 1973 - 2007
The focus of the scholarship is broad encompassing painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, architecture, as well as decorative and applied arts: crafts, graphic arts, and folk and popular art among them. Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) includes and extends the coverage of its two predecessor art indexes: RÃ©pertoire d'Art et d'ArchÃ©ologie (RAA) from 1973 to 1989 and International Repertory of the Literature of Art (RILA) from 1975 to 1989.
International Bibliography of Art
Articles, monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings and exhibition catalogues relating to the history of art.
Coverage: 2008 - present

Other databases may also be of use:

Web of Science
Articles and citations in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Coverage: Varies
Web of Science is comprised of several databases. The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI) covers journals in the medical, physical and natural sciences, and engineering fields. The entire database extends back to 1899. The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) covers journals in the social sciences. The entire database extends back to 1898. The Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) covers journals in the arts and humanities. It also selectively covers relevant items from science and technical journals. The entire database extends back to 1975.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Citations to periodicals published worldwide on archaeology, city planning, interior design, historic preservation and architecture.
Coverage: 1930's - present
The Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals provides citations to more than 1,000 periodicals published worldwide on archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation, as well as architecture. File sources include The Getty Information Institute (GII) and the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia.
JSTOR
Provides access to back issues of journals in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, many of which date from the 1800s.
Coverage: varies (excludes current 3 to 5 years)

Researching Canadian Topics

CBCA (Canadian Business & Current Affairs)
Full text of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles relating to business, culture, current events, education, language, agriculture, history, and politics in Canada.
Coverage: 1982 - present
Canadian Periodical Index Quarterly (CPI.Q)
Full text articles on a range of topics from Canadian-focused journals, magazines, newspapaers and reference sources.
Coverage: 1988 - present