During the past week, I catalogued approximately 75 art exhibition catalogs, ranging in date from the 1870s through the 1970s. Many of these catalogs are rare-- located in only one or two other libraries worldwide. Art exhibition catalogs from the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century bear little resemblance to the thick, glossy, color illustrated, essay-filled publications distributed by galleries and museums today. Earlier exhibition catalogs are smaller (sometimes only a single folded page), unillustrated or sparsely illustrated in black and white, listing artworks (title, artist, date, dimensions, medium, and sometimes price) for the purposes of promotion of the gallery and the artist, and sale of the artwork. Instead of a scholarly essay or note from the curator, a biography of the artist and description of his or her technique may be included. Although early exhibition catalogs do not make great coffee table books, they do provide scholars with valuable information about the provenance or artwork and the state of the art market at a particular time. Stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library to see the variety of art exhibition catalogs in our collection!- Rachel Juris, 2009 Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellow
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