AskART

Description

A database of information about American artists, including names, birth and death dates, state or local affiliation, fields in which artist worked, book and periodical references to artist, dealers and museums where works may be viewed, auction prices of works, some biographical details, etc. Aims at being an unbiased source of information about the commercial value of each artist's work through a comprehensive system of comparables. Database began construction in 1983. "AskART, is 'dedicated to the creation and maintenance of the world's most comprehensive centralized database about American artists' and is 'committed to the inclusion of painters, sculptors, and illustrators.' The database contains detailed information on nearly 28,000 American artists and can be accessed through a name keyword search, an alphabetically arranged artist index, or by category on a more selective basis (e.g., California Artists, Hudson River School). Artist entries include a biography, information about museums that display their work, a bibliography of books and periodicals about the artist and a superb color image gallery. In addition to artist information, the web site also provides directories of museums, dealers, auction houses, and professional organizations and a glossary of art terms. Although AskART does offer fee-based services through optional registered membership, the content on the site's main page (e.g. artist and museum information) is free"--"Best Free Reference Web Sites 2003," RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2003; reviewed February 11, 2003.

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