Online research resources
Collaboration is at the heart of our research programme.
We have jointly funded and collaborated in a number of initiatives intended to consolidate primary resources for the study of sculpture.
On this page you can also find links to numerous other online journals and other resources.
Collaborative databases on sculptors
A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain 1660-1851
This database provides information on the life and work of sculptors working in Britain from 1660 to 1851.
Containing details of over 3,000 sculptors, this searchable resource includes biographies and a full list of known works for each artist.
‘Sculptor’ is broadly defined to include, for instance, carvers, casters, modellers, stone-carvers, and proprietors of sculptural businesses. Sculptors who were born in Britain, worked in Britain, or worked for British patrons are included.
Over 30,000 individual works are searchable by multiple categories including name, subject matter, dates, material, location, and payment.
Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951
The Mapping Sculpture database is a comprehensive study of sculpture between the Great Exhibition of 1851, and the Festival of Britain in 1951.
It contains a web of connections between sculptors, related businesses and trades, revealing the numerous personal and professional connections underlying the production of sculpture.
The database hold over 50,000 records about sculptural practice.
Art UK
Art UK is the online home for every public art collection in the United Kingdom.
Free to use, Art UK’s website brings together more than 3,400 British institutions in one of the UK’s biggest-ever arts partnerships. It shows over 600,000 works by over 60,000 artists and is growing all the time.
It features work held by museums, universities, libraries, town halls and hospitals, together with art owned by national bodies such as the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland.
Building on this wonderful repository of artworks, the Art UK website is rich in story content and learning resources, and it offers many ways for everyone to engage with art.
The Conway Library database of images of twentieth-century British sculpture
A teaching and research collection held at the Courtauld Institute of Art, containing over one million images.
Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity
A five-year research project into Henry Moore conducted by Tate. It brought together works in Tate’s collection, materials relating to Moore’s public and private life, correspondence, exhibition reviews, films, photographs and more.
Artists’ Lives series
A growing collection of live recordings with sculptors, forming a part of the National Life Stories collection at the British Library Sound Archive.
The Artists’ Papers Register
A research project offering online information about the location of artists’ archives in Britain.
Open-access online journals
19
A scholarly, refereed web journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary study in the long nineteenth century.
British Art Studies
An open access journal on all aspects of British art, architecture and visual culture.
Contemporary Culture Index
A bibliographical database indexing international journals and periodicals.
Courtauld Books Online
A series of open access research publications that have emerged from Courtauld Institute of Art research projects, involving scholars from art history, conservation, and curation across the world.
Espace
An open access journal dedicated to sculpture, installation and all other forms of spatial art, published by Centre de Diffusion 3D.
Journal of Art Historiography
A peer-reviewed journal maintained by The Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham.
Nineteenth-Century Art Online
A scholarly, refereed e-journal devoted to the study of nineteenth-century painting, sculpture, graphic arts, photography, architecture, and decorative arts across the globe.
Tate Papers
A peer-reviewed research journal that publishes articles on British and modern international art, and on museum practice today.
UCL Press – Books
A wide range of open access books on art, design and art history from University College London Press, including monographs, edited collections and textbooks.
Audio-visual resources
Audio Arts
Online access to Audio Arts (1973-2006), an audio cassette magazine established by William Furlong in 1972.
Art and Architecture
A full-text archive of magazines comprising key research material in the fields of art and architecture, dating from the late-nineteenth century to the twenty-first.
British Library Sounds
Selected full interviews from National Life Stories are available to listen to online.
Henry Moore at the BBC
Films on Henry Moore from the BBC archives.
Sculpture at the BBC
Films on sculpture held in the BBC archives.
Other online resources
British bronze sculpture founders and plaster figure makers, 1800-1980
A selective directory compiled by the National Portrait Gallery of bronze sculpture founders and plaster figure makers active in Britain from about 1800. It focuses on those whose work is represented in major collections or is on display in significant public spaces.
Getty Research Portal
A free online art history library with 108,000 digitized art history titles from 24 international institutions.
Internet Directory of Sculpture Parks
Information on international sculpture parks, sculpture gardens, outdoor university collections, sculpture trails, and earthworks.
Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity
Includes entries on sculptures by Moore in Tate’s collection, and explores his use of different materials and techniques. It contains essays on various aspects of his life and identity as a public figure, and examines how leading critics interpreted his works.
Tate: Digitised collections
Includes material from the Tate collections and archives.
Public Statues and Sculpture Association
The PSSA is the natural successor to the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA), which ran successfully for nearly 30 years. Founded on similar principles, the PSSA will advance the understanding and appreciation of sculpture.
Visit us
Our Sculpture Research Library and Archive of Sculptors’ Papers are invaluable resources for studying sculpture. Find them at the Henry Moore Institute in the centre of Leeds.
If you’re interested in studying Henry Moore, discover his sculpture, former home and archive at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens in rural Hertfordshire.
The Henry Moore Institute
A world recognised centre for the study and enjoyment of sculpture in central Leeds.
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Experience Henry Moore’s iconic work in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside.