Art Encyclopedias

Henry Pisciotta
Title: Arts and Architecture Librarian and Assistant Head

The first one to try is usually:

Oxford Art Online (database). Covers all of the visual arts: people, places, major works, styles, periods, techniques, etc.

These also cover all periods and supplement Oxford Art Online:

Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education, 2004 (book and ebook) Encyclopedic articles on issues in art education with extensive bibliographies.

Encyclopedia of Creativity, 2 vols. 1999 (book) Aspects of creativity such as cognitive and learning stypes, developmental stages, cultural differences, teaching, etc.

Styles, Schools, and Movements, 2002. ( book) A chronological arrangement so use the index to find a specific topic.
International Art Galleries: Post-War to Post-Millennium, 2005. ( book) History of the major commercial galleries of the world's art capitals.
Encyclopedia of American Folk Art, 2004. ( book) Artists, media, genres, ethnicities, etc.
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 5 vols., 2000 (database and book) Mostly mass media and entertainment but also other aspects of pop culture.
World Encyclopedia of Cartoons, 7 vols., 1999. (book)

Oxford Companion to the Photograph, 2005. (database and book) History, technology, theory, and bios.
Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography, 2 vols., 2008. (book)
Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3 vols., 2006. (book)
Both of the above include photographers, critics, formal aspects, hardware, institutions, movements, publications, regions, techniques, and styles.
Focal Encyclopedia of Photography: Digital Imaging, Theory and Applications History and Science, 2007 (book) The technologies and practices of photography.

Design Encyclopedia, 2004. (book) Well-rounded treatment of design with a focus on the 20th century.
Design: Intelligence Made Visible, 2007. (book) Useful as a supplement to the above.
Encyclopedia of Interior Design, 2 vols., 1997. (book) Styles, rooms, movements, designers, furnishers, trade names, etc. for all periods and most cultures.
Encyclopedia of Furnishing Textiles, Floorcoverings and Home Furnishing Practices, 1200-1950, 2007. (book) Rich in detailed historical information.
Encyclopedia of Furniture Materials, Trades, and Techniques, 2000. (book) Rich in detailed historical information.
Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900, 2005. (book) Shorter entries on modern design.

Art History: the Key Concepts, 2006.; (book) Defines and discusses theories and critical terms and provides suggestions for further reading.
Critical Terms for Art History, 2003. (book) Defines and discusses theories and critical terms and provide suggestions for further reading.
Dutch Art: an Encyclopedia, 1997. (book) Media, artists, periods, genres, major cities, interactions with other countries, historiography, etc..
Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850, 2 vols., 2004. (book) Europe, Britain, and the Americas.
Enciclopedia dell'arte antica, classica e orientale, 10 vols., 1958 - 1994. (book) Covers prehistory to 500 C.E. Articles in several languages.
Enciclopedia dell'arte medievale, 12 vols., 1991-2002. (book) Exceptionally well-illustrated coverage of medieval art. All articles in Italian.
Reallexikon zur byzantinischen Kunst, 7 vols., 1966 - present. (book) Art of the Byzantine empire. Articles in several languages. Only the first volumes (A through N) have been published.