1. Purpose of the collection

The Library collects in the fields of Art History primarily to support the teaching and research needs of the School of English, Media Studies and Art History. Resources in this area are also used to a varying extent by other schools in the University including School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, and School of Geography, Planning and Architecture.

2. Primary user groups served

Undergraduate courses are generally taken as part of an Arts degree, but students from other faculties may also enrol. Postgraduate courses include Masters degrees and PhD’s by thesis. Diplomas include the Diploma in Arts: Art History, which is primarily for graduates from other universities, without extensive art historical experience

Areas of teaching in Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses include:

  • European art (Renaissance to present)
  • Australian art
  • photography
  • cinema
  • dress history
  • the art museum
  • popular culture
  • critical theory and aesthetics

Additional areas of teaching for Honours and Postgraduate Diploma of Arts students are in Research methods and the Rhetorics of Art History.

Research interests of academic staff and postgraduate students include:

  • contemporary Australian art and theory
  • Australian dress and identity
  • aesthetics
  • cultural theory and contemporary art
  • 19th and 20th century Australian art and museums
  • discourse analysis
  • Australian indigenous art
  • 20th century Australian photography

3. Description of the collection

The collection consists of monographs, periodicals, manuscripts, and electronic sources. It is strongest in Australian art, particularly for pre-1940, with important manuscript holdings for Queensland artists and their organisations. There are also strengths in art theory, Australian museums, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art, Renaissance art (particularly Italy and the Netherlands), 18th and 19th century British art, 19th and 20th century French art, 20th century American art, and Chinese art.

The Library subscribes to major print indexes such as BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art, Art Bibliographies Modern, and Art Index. Art Index and BHA are also available electronically, as well as Humanities Index and a number of electronic journals. Also held is Nineteenth Century: Visual arts and Architecture on microfiche.

A large part of the art history collection is held in the Social Sciences and Humanities Library, with a strong collection of Australian art material in Fryer Library.

4. Interdisciplinary relationships

Art History shares common areas of interest with other subject areas such as classics and ancient history and architecture and planning.

5. Scope of current collecting

1. Languages collected:

The major part of the collection is in English, although there are also a number of works in French and German. The major reference work, BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art, is in English and French.

2. Geographical areas collected:

No geographical area is specifically excluded. There is an emphasis on maintaining the strength in Australian art material. It is expected that new subjects, which include studies in Asian and Pacific art, will soon be introduced in the School of English, Media Studies and Art History. In this case collecting will include more material relating to these geographical areas.

3. Chronological periods collected:

No chronological period is excluded. However, as teaching focuses on the periods from the Renaissance to the present, collecting in art history reflects this focus.

4. Types (formats) of material collected:

No types of material are excluded, although there is no specific slide collection, such as is found in many art libraries.

5. Publication dates:

The emphasis is on collecting recent publications.

6. Special considerations:

None.

7. Conspectus

  • A Conspectus evaluation of the collection reveals an advanced basic information level (2b) of collecting in the area of visual arts, although some areas such as the Renaissance, eighteenth and nineteenth century art in Great Britain and nineteenth century art in France
  • There is a strong intermediate level (3b) collection of monographs and serials in the area of Australian art that reaches research level (4) in Australian art prior to 1940.
  • The Conspectus revealed uneven collections in the areas of print media and the decorative arts with advanced basic information level (2b) collections in the British Arts and Crafts movement, ancient Greek and Roman ceramics and 20th century costume.
  • The Conspectus evaluation of the collection noted a comparative weakness in foreign language material for Greek and Roman art.