Catalogues Raisonnés Users' Guide

Introduction

Catalogues raisonnés – scholarly compilations of an artist's body of work – are critical tools for researching the provenance, attribution and authenticity of a work of art. They are directly related to IFAR's own work in these areas, and like IFAR, they exist at the intersection of the scholarly, legal and collecting art worlds.  IFAR's Catalogues Raisonnés Database comprises both published catalogues and catalogues in preparation, which can be searched separately or together. They are living documents, and new information is added regularly. No electronic resource like this exists. Please see the section below, "Contact Us with New Information," for a way to help us keep our Database up to date.

Scope and Definition

Catalogue Raisonné = kå-tå-"log-" rA-z&-'nA/
[Fr. literally, reasoned catalog] (Webster's) [Fr., = carefully studied or methodical catalogue.] A descriptive catalogue arranged according to subjects, or branches of subjects; hence, generally or loosely, a classified or methodical list. (OED)

Narrowly defined, a catalogue raisonné is a thorough, reasoned and systematic documentation of all works by an artist – the oeuvre – or all works in a given medium (such as painting, sculpture, works on paper) known to and accepted by the author(s) at the time the catalogue is prepared. By definition, the author(s) or editor(s), when deciding which works to include, are also making an assessment as to whether a particular work is by the hand of a given artist – that is, authentic – and where it fits within the artist's body of work. Except in rare instances, a catalogue raisonné is not an exhibition or collection catalogue, nor is it the same as a "monograph" on an artist, although some monographs include a list of the artist's complete works. For the purpose of IFAR's Database, catalogue raisonné is narrowly defined as above, and monographs and exhibition and collection catalogues are generally not included.

Most catalogues raisonnés include a brief description of the object, with an illustration, dimensions, and medium; the date the object was created; ownership history (provenance); and, often, its exhibition and bibliographic history. Some also include biographical information, interpretive essays and comprehensive catalogue entries. Other catalogues include only the barest details. Both types are included in the IFAR Database if the publication meets the narrow definition above and sets itself out to be a catalogue raisonné. 

In many cases multiple catalogues raisonnés exist for a particular artist. IFAR's Database does not attempt to judge the catalogues raisonnés; if they are known to us, all catalogues will be included in the Database. The public notes field, however, may have additional commentary.

IFAR's Website focuses on catalogues dealing with paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and photographs. Although we include some print catalogues, particularly for artists who also worked in other media – another database of catalogues on prints already exists (see www.printcouncil.org), and there was no need to duplicate that excellent resource.

IFAR's Website contains two databases: one for published catalogues raisonnés and one for those still in preparation. The latter includes information about anticipated publication dates, project scope and contact information. Please note: IFAR's database of catalogues in preparation should not be confused with a list of current "experts" on a given artist. We include projects only if works are being systematically reviewed for inclusion in a catalogue raisonné. In some cases, however, we have included "standing committees" that are reviewing works for archival purposes with a view to producing a future catalogue raisonné or supplement.

How to Navigate

Searching the Databases
The two databases of published and in-preparation catalogues raisonnés may be searched independently or together. Users must select at least one database to search.  Additional filters allow users to further refine their searches to only those catalogues that can be accessed in their entirety online. Clicking the Digitized Print Catalogues box will filter results to show only those print catalogues that have been fully digitized.  Clicking the Online Only Catalogues box will limit the search results to born digital online catalogues raisonnés. These advanced filters can be used singly or together, and for both published and in-preparation catalogues.  Users can also browse an alphabetical list of artists who are the subject of an online catalogue raisonné included in the Database.

The Database can also be searched by using one of four other search criteria: artist's name, period of artist's activity, country of birth/death, and catalogue author(s).

The artist's name may be searched either by entering any part of the last name. We have used the standard form of an artist's name as established by the Library of Congress in its Name Authority File or by the Getty Union List of Artist Names (ULAN).

All known variations of an artist's name are included in our Database. For example, Jacques Lipchitz can be found under any of the following:

• Lipchitz, Jacques
• Lipshits, Zak
• Lifshits, Zák
• Lipchitz, Jakoff
• Lipchitz, Chaim Jacob
• Lipschitz, Jakoff
• Lipsic, Zak

The name displayed will be the standard form of the artist's name. Be aware that some variant names can be very different from the standard form of the name.For example, a search for "Arpino" finds "Cesari, Giuseppe," who is also known as "Cavalier d'Arpino." Other anomalous results can also occur. A search for "Hesse" brings up "d'Affry" (Duc[hesse] de Castiglione-Colonna).

A note on alphabetizing: Where possible, we have followed the alphabetizing system of the Library of Congress. This may cause some confusion with foreign names starting with the articles: le, van, de, della, etc., as it is not always consistent. Vincent van Gogh is listed under "G" (Gogh); Giorgio de Chirico is listed under "D," and Piero della Francesca is listed under "P."  This may cause confusion when using the "browse" option.

An artist's period of activity is determined by the year of birth and/or death. A pull-down menu allows you to search within a range of dates, e.g.1700–1799. The search will yield the names of all artists in the Database who were born or died between those dates.

An artist's country/nationality is determined by either the country of the artist's birth or death. Modern country names are used. Thus, an artist who was born or died in Flanders will be found by a search for Belgium.

Searches based on an artist's country of birth or death avoid thorny issues that might arise in categorizing artists by nationality or school of activity. For those artists who were born, worked, and died in only one or two countries, this system works well. But for artists like John Singer Sargent, who was born in Italy and died in England, but who is generally considered an "American" artist, it is less useful.

Catalogue authors can be searched by any part of their name. Where applicable, the Database includes the names of several authors and/or editors.

Search results: All searches first bring up the Artist Name Page, which contains a list of all artists who satisfy the search criteria. The names appear in interactive blue type. Clicking on an artist’s name brings up the Title Display Page showing a list of catalogue titles. Catalogues in preparation are listed at the top of the page, with the published catalogues raisonnés listed below in reverse chronological order. Clicking on the individual title will bring up the full record.

Links to external bibliographic sites: Some search results will bring up links to additional bibliographic resources. IFAR's records include links to WorldCat, a catalogue of globally networked libraries, which allows users to locate the nearest library holding a print copy of the catalogue. 

Records also include links to HathiTrust, Google Books, Internet Archive, and other sources that allow users to view additional online content. Links are located in the right-hand column of the Book Detail page. Scrolling over a link will bring a pop-up balloon with a description of the site. Clicking the link will open a tab to the new location.

Many catalogues raisonnés have been partially or completely digitized.  Clicking the link to the Internet Archive or "View Full Text of Catalogue" will allow users to view the complete digitized print catalogue. Links to Google Books and HathiTrust will also sometimes provide access to the full text.  In other cases, however, users can view only partial text, access the table of contents or search the contents of the book. In other cases, Google Books and HathiTrust provide only bibliographic information, with no text view.

A note on series: Some search results will yield records for a series. These are catalogues that have been published in several parts typically over an extended time period. As an example, the Picasso Project comprises 32 volumes printed over 20 years. A search on Picasso will retrieve, among a number of other records, the series record for the Picasso Project under which all volumes are listed. In some cases, we have created a series heading to group together publications that are related to each other, but were not part of a series per se. For example, two independent titles Jean Arp and Jean Arp Sculpture: His Last Ten Years are listed under the rubric Arp Sculpture. Series titles are given in black and contain basic bibliographic information and a brief comment on the number of volumes, supplements and reprintings. Clicking on individual volumes in the series, highlighted in blue, will bring up the complete record.

Two types of catalogues: For published catalogues we note authors, book titles, publishers, publication date, language, and other bibliographic information. Wherever possible, we have examined the contents of the book or online catalogue.  IFAR's records also provide details on catalogue entries, noting whether they contain provenance, bibliography, exhibition history, and comments on individual works of art. The "Content Notes" and "Public Notes" fields provide additional relevant information.

For catalogues in preparation, we indicate the project scope, authors and committee members, contact information, sponsors, anticipated publication date, and review procedures. We also indicate whether the catalogue raisonné is a supplement to an existing catalogue, a continuation of an author's doctoral dissertation, or a completely new publication.

We also indicate whether the authors charge a fee for reviewing works for possible inclusion in the catalogue.  If the authors did not indicate whether they charge a fee, no fee information will display.  In all cases, please consult the Contact Person for the project to verify the current fee. IFAR is not responsible for fee changes, incorrect fees, or any other information provided to us.

Contact Us with New Information

IFAR's Catalogues Raisonnés Database is continually expanded and updated.  If you know of published catalogues raisonnés as well as projects currently underway that are not listed in the Database, please let us know.  Go to "Tell Us about Catalogues Raisonnés" on the Catalogues Raisonnés Database homepage, and send an email to the address on the contact page. If you see an error in any of our entries, or have additional information, please send that information to us as well.

Other Resources

To find information about catalogues raisonnés on prints and printmakers, please consult the Print Council of America's comprehensive Index to Print Catalogues Raisonnés. In addition, many listings within the inventories published by the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, function as catalogues raisonnés on some printmakers; see, for example, Roger-Armand Weigert and Maxime Préaud, Inventaire du fonds français, graveurs du XVIIe siècle and Jean Laran et al., Inventaire du fonds français après 1800 (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 15 vols., 1930-ongoing). Individual volumes within the Illustrated Bartsch series (New York and Norwalk, CT: Abaris Books, 96 vols., 1978-ongoing) should also be consulted for prints.

Several major art historical compilations are also worth mentioning. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century Based on the Work of John Smith (London: Macmillan, 8 vols., 1908-27), is an important corpus describing the oeuvres of individual Dutch artists. Studies by Bernard Berenson and Lionello Venturi also represent important historical efforts to reconstruct the oeuvres of Italian artists.

The catalogues of the holdings of large national museums and libraries – for example, the British Museum, the Louvre and the Uffizi – are also invaluable resources, especially for researching the prints and drawings of artists whose works were collected by monarchs or other wealthy patrons in earlier periods.

For general information about catalogues raisonnés, please visit the Website of the Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association. 

Purchasing Catalogues Raisonnés:

Catalogues raisonnés are generally printed in limited editions, and many are out of print. As an aide to users who may wish to acquire a particular catalogue, IFAR has included links to booksellers on the upper right corner of the Title Display Page. Clicking on the link to the bookseller will open a window to the site, where you can make a purchase. If you purchase a publication through the link on IFAR's page, IFAR receives a small percentage of the purchase price at no additional cost to you. This will help us to maintain the Database.