The foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, covering both Western and non-Western art.
Grove Art Online
The authority on art from pre-history to present day
Editor in Chief: Dr. Nicola Courtright
From Our Blog
For over 500 years, the masterful works of Leonardo da Vinci have awed artists, connoisseurs, and laypeople alike. Often considered the first High Renaissance artist, Leonardo worked extensively in Florence, Milan, and Rome before ending his career in France, and his techniques and writings influenced artists for centuries after his death. However, to refer to Leonardo da Vinci as just an artist minimizes his role in numerous areas of study; in addition to painting, sculpture, and drawing, the quintessential 'Renaissance Man' left an indelible mark on architecture, engineering, science, philosophy, and even music.
Posted on May 2, 2019
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Today marks the 500th anniversary of the dedication of Michelangelo's magnificent Sistine Ceiling on the vigil of All Saints' Day (otherwise known as Halloween) in 1512. The anniversary comes at a time of growing debate about whether the Vatican should impose limits on who can enter the chapel and how.
Posted on November 1, 2012
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Everyone knows George Gershwin as a composer, songwriter, pianist and icon of American music. But few know of his connections to the world of paintings and fine art. As a practicing artist himself, Gershwin produced over 100 paintings, drawings, and photographs.
Posted on September 28, 2015
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Today, 29 July 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of the death of Vincent Willem van Gogh, the legendary Dutch post-impressionist painter behind Starry Night and Café Terrace at Night. His talents went widely unrecognized until after his death. Van Gogh was a brilliant artist with a tormented soul suffering from a mental illness.
Posted on July 29, 2015
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After illegal drugs, illicit arms and human trafficking, art theft is one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world. According to the FBI Art Crime Team (ACT), stolen art is a lucrative billion dollar industry. The team has already made 11,800 recoveries totaling $160 million in losses.
Posted on June 24, 2015
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Vincent van Gogh's turbulent relationship with mothers'especially his own'began a full year before his birth. On 30 March 1852, Anna Carbentus van Gogh gave birth to a son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, who was stillborn. Anna tearfully buried her son in the cemetery of the parsonage where the Van Goghs lived. A year later to the day, Anna would give birth to another son, whom she also named Vincent Willem van Gogh.
Posted on June 10, 2015
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On 15 April, nations around the globe will be celebrating World Art Day, which is also Leonardo da Vinci's birthday. A creative mastermind and one of the top pioneers of the Italian Renaissance period, his artistic visions fused science and nature producing most notably the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Posted on April 15, 2015
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As an undergraduate at Yale, after flirting with theater, music, and sociology, I majored in studio art and focused on bookmaking, graphic design, printmaking, and photography. Majors were required to take three art history classes. By the end of my college career, I had taken eight and had seriously thought about changing my major.
Posted on October 15, 2014
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Angus studied at the Canterbury School of Art, Christchurch (1927'33). In 1930 she married the artist Alfred Cook (1907'70) and used the signature Rita Cook until 1946; they had separated in 1934. Her painting Cass (1936; Christchurch, NZ, A.G.) is representative of the regionalist school that emerged in Canterbury during the late 1920s, with the small railway station visualizing both the isolation and the sense of human progress in rural New Zealand.
Posted on October 23, 2014
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Ricky Swallow from Grove Art Online. Australian conceptual artist, active also in the USA. Swallow came to prominence only a few years after completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, by winning the prestigious Contempora 5 art prize in 1999
Posted on May 16, 2014
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By Erina Duganne Many hope, even count on, photography to function as an agent of social change. In his 1998 book, Photojournalism and Foreign Policy: Icons of Outrage in International Crises, communications scholar David Perlmutter argues, however, that while photographs 'may stir controversy, accolades, and emotion,' they 'achieve absolutely nothing.'
Posted on May 16, 2014
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By Victoria Davis This year, in honor of World Art Day, Oxford invited photographers of all levels to submit their best street photography. Thank you to all of you who submitted! We received many thought-provoking, original entries, and are now happy to announce the winners.
Posted on May 13, 2014
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We are delighted to present a Q&A with the Editor of Grove Art Online, Alodie Larson. In the below interview, you'll get to know Alodie as Editor, and also learn her thoughts on art history research and publishing. You can also find her Letter from the Editor on Oxford Art Online.
Posted on April 15, 2014
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In celebration of World Art Day, we invite you to read the biography of Ludovico Sforza, patron of Leonardo Da Vinci among other artists, as it is presented in Grove Art Online.
Posted on April 15, 2014
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In honor of World Art Day on 15 April 2014, Oxford is hosting a street photography competition. But what exactly is street photography? The below article from Grove Art Online by Lisa Hostetler explores the history of street photography, as well as its relationship to contemporary art. As Dr. Hostetler explains, this type of art includes "photographs exposed in and of an urban environment and made with artistic intent."
Posted on April 11, 2014
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By Victoria Davis World Art Day is coming up on 15 April. We're celebrating with some forthcoming blog posts, select free journal and online product articles, and a photography competition. We also invite you to celebrate with us by submitting your own art to our Street Photography Contest.
Posted on April 8, 2014
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Selfie ' the Oxford Word of the Year for 2013 ' is a neologism defined as 'a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website'.
Posted on November 21, 2013
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By Kandice Rawlings Saint Francis of Assisi died on this day in 1226, and when he was canonized just two years later, the fourth of October became his feast day. Even before his sainthood was official, St Francis was a popular figure among the faithful, and the religious order he had founded already had chapters throughout Europe.
Posted on October 4, 2013
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As Grand Central Terminal celebrates its centennial this year, I have found myself admiring other accomplishments of the firm responsible for a significant part of its design, Warren & Wetmore. In my first days in the New York office of Oxford University Press, I noticed an imposing cadre of busts from the southeast windows of the building.
Posted on October 8, 2013
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By Kandice Rawlings Summer is over, and it's back-to-school season. Art students are heading back to their classrooms and studios, receiving a course of training that will help them become professional artists.
Posted on September 12, 2013
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By Dimitris Plantzos We can't think of classical Greece without its nude statues, but what was it about nudity that made Greece classical? Thucydides was convinced that taking your kit off while exercising was a sign of cultural progress.
Posted on July 14, 2013
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