Two Library Catalogs
With three research centers and eighty-eight neighborhood libraries, the New York Public Library has two catalogs to help library users find what they need.
- Research catalog: For materials held in our three research locations
- Circulating branch catalog: For materials held in our eighty-eight neighborhood libraries across the boroughs of The Bronx, Manhattan, & Staten Island.
- A full list of locations is available here.
Tips for Search
Regardless of the catalog, NYPL uses the Library of Congress Subject headings to help sort what is in our collections.
- Searching by “Subject” can be a great way to begin
- Some commonly used terms for researching Latin American/Latine art are listed below:
- Subject headings can be subdivided by geographic location or country. (Some examples are listed below).
Catalog Search -- Finding an artist
Searching the Library’s online catalog can serve as the first step in order to see if the library holds books on a specific artist. Books are good sources for well-known artists, but may not be available for ones that are lesser known.
There are different ways to search for books on individual artists:
-
The best way is to search in both the “Subject” field and the "Author/Contributor" field and type the LastName, FirstName of the artist.
- e.g. Botero, Fernando
- It is with this type of search that you can find material about the artist such as biographies, exhibitions, catalogs, etc...
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You can also do an “All Fields” search if your subject and author searches provide you with little or no results.
You can visit our guide on How to Research an Artist for a more detailed approach to researching an artist.
(Examples of Popular titles are found below.)
Artists from Latin American Cultures by
Latin Americans have long been relegated to the cultural background, obscured by the dominant European culture. This biographical dictionary profiles 75 artists from the United States and 13 nations of Central and South America and the Caribbean, including painters, sculptors, photographers, muralists, printmakers, installation artists, and performance artists. Some of their works recall pre-Columbian times; others confront the cultural imperialism of the U.S. over Latin America; and many explore how the dominant elements of culture can affect identities of class, gender, and sexuality. Profiled artists range from the renowned to the little-known: Frida Kahlo; Tina Modotti; Diego Rivera; Myrna Baez; Raquel Forner; Patrocino Barela; and many more. Color photographs are provided for many of the works. Each entry includes information about the artist's childhood, schooling, creative growth, and artistic styles and themes. Exemplary artworks and influences are described, along with a look at popular and critical responses. Supplemental features include artist cross references, a glossary of essential terms from the art world, and a number of vivid photos portraying the artists in their creative environments.
Call Number: JQF 13-1533ISBN: 9780313315442Publication Date: 2002Contemporary artists in Latin America, 1945. by
Call Number: *ZM MAR p.v. 889 no. 5Publication Date: 1945
Contemporary Latin American artists : exhibitions at the Organization of American States 1965-1985 by
...this book really shines, though is in offering access to biographical information on artists generally unknown to North Americans...an excellent reference book for research collections. --LIBRARY JOURNAL ... This monumental effort gives a good history of the development of modern Latin American art. --CHOICE ...Sanjurjo has gone a long way in redressing the neglect in the literature of a continent and a culture's artistic achievements... --ART DOCUMENTATION
Call Number: JQF 15-1441ISBN: 9780810826441Publication Date: 1993
Diccionario de artistas contemporaneos = Contemporary artists dictionary by Call Number: JQE 06-377ISBN: 9781889111087Publication Date: 2003
Ensayo de un diccionario de artífices coloniales de la América Meridional. by Call Number: MAO (Vargas Ugarte, R. Ensayo de un diccionario de artífices coloniales de la América Meridional)Publication Date: 1947
Künstler der Kolonialzeit in Lateinamerika by Call Number: 3-MAN 93-7938ISBN: 3050023554Publication Date: 1993
Latin American and Caribbean Artists of the Modern Era by
This is a comprehensive reference book to more than 12,700 painters, sculptors, graphic artists and architects in Latin America (Mexico, Central America, South America) and the Caribbean region active during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Entries include the artists' years, countries and bibliographies. Also included are brief biographical information, stylistic notes, a record of each artist's exhibitions and a list of collections where his or her works can be seen. There are 89 photographs of selected works that supplement the entries. The introduction includes brief informative background essays on the individual countries and their artists.
Call Number: JQF 15-1366ISBN: 9780786410576Publication Date: 2003
Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century by
This profusely illustrated volume (357 plates; 194 in color) was published as part of a Museum of Modern Art (New York) exhibit. It comprises 13 essays by art historians, who illuminate various styles of twentieth-century Latin American art and the work of selected artists.
Call Number: *R-ART N6502.5 .L38 1993ISBN: 0810961210Publication Date: 1993
Latin American Women Artists, Kahlo and Look Who Else by
This volume is a unique contribution to Latin American studies because it underscores the essential role that women have played in the arenas of modern and contemporary art. [This book] provides valuable and much-needed assistance to the researcher. (From the foreword by Elizabeth Ferrer) With more than 1,500 references on nearly 800 women Latin American Women Artists, Kahlo and Look Who Else pays tribute to the rich and multifaceted artistic accomplishments of women in and from 20th-century Latin America. Frida Kahlo has until recently dominated the interest of scholars, curators, and the public to the point of almost eclipsing the achievements of other artists from the region. This selectively annotated bibliography begins systematically to identify other women -- painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, performance artists, and others -- who have made significant contributions to the history of art in the region. The first section, the main part of the work, consists of individual artists grouped in an alphabetical country arrangement. Artists in each country are listed A-Z, as are the citations about them. Annotations are descriptive and highlight, among other details, the presence of biographical and professional development information in the analyzed materials. A section of general works arranged by country follows, consisting principally of periodical and monographic literature that deals with numerous women, and a listing of the women mentioned in the cited materials. The volume has two appendices. The first is an analyzed list of 77 collective exhibitions in which works by these women have been presented. The second appendix groups the artists by country, allowing for an in-brief look at all of the artists identified in the bibliography. The name index references artists to the main section by country code and also includes entries for authors, curators, and exhibition catalogue essayists.
Call Number: 3-MAL 97-12792ISBN: 0313289344Publication Date: 1996
St. James Guide to Hispanic Artists
This guide provides critical analysis of approximately 400 20th-century Hispanic artists from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and American artists of Spanish descent. Detailed entries typically include biographical information; a list of individual exhibitions and a select list of group exhibitions; lists of museums and public galleries holding works by a given artist in their permanent collections; publications by and about the artist; a statement by the artist about his/her work as available; and more.
Call Number: JQF 15-1370ISBN: 1558624708Publication Date: 2002
