Provenance: Get Started

This research guide points Fine Arts students to library resources that may prove useful for tracking down the provenance of works of art.

Here is a list of the online resources referred to in this research guide.

The  provenance of a work of art includes:

• owners’ names and dates of ownership
• places of ownership, from creation to the present
• means of transference, e.g. inheritance, sale through a dealer, sale through an auction

Library research methodology:

1. Search image databases
   • retrieve metadata to identify the current owner and location
   • consult with the museum where item is held
2. Search for a catalogue raisonnéfor the artist
   • provenance information may be included
3. Search for catalogues of exhibitions that included the work
   • find ownership information at least for date of the exhibit
4. Search for biographical information on the artist
   • find clues to artist's associates and dates of sales
   • discover any major collectors of the artist's work
5. Search for articles that may provide clues
   • scholarly journal articles
   • articles on Canadian topics
   • newspaper and magazine articles
6. Search for other scholarly sources
   • monographs and collections of essays
   • theses and dissertations