The purpose of this page is to list a variety of art collections from museums and galleries around the world.

	Museums
	Online Museums & Galleries
	Print Resources on Museums
	Museum Organizations

Museums
Sites that provide links to museums around the world or for special interests, but not necessarily provide extensive online exhibitions. 

Musée
Online directories to museums around the world of all types.

WWW Virtual Library: Museums-Art Galleries
Extensive list of art collections around the world with a varying amount of online exhibitions. More comprehensive lists are provided through these two links:

• Museums in the USA
• Museums around the World

Museums Online
Museums may focus on a particular genre, time period or other collection strategy. National museums generally represent the national history and arts, but may collect other works of interest. The term 'gallery' frequently identifies an art retailer, but others are actually museum collections and work to educate the visitor.

The US museums have created the most extensive digitized collections to date. If there is a museum in another country that you are interested in, you can check their web site using one of the museum sites above.

American Visionary Museum
A variety of paintings, sculptures and kinetic art created by self-taught creative people over the ages with a concentration on contemporary works. Visionary art is defined as being different from folk art as being without a definable tradition or background.

Archives of American Art
From the Smithsonian, this site can be a bit frustrating as it offers a growing, but not complete, digital collection of their holdings, but does have good list of artists for ideas. Some material is available through Interlibrary Loan.

Getty Museum of Art
Of specific interest are the "Explore Art" and "Photo Study Collection Database" sections. Note: the photograph collection is mostly text, not images, although the tapestry sub-collection offers a large number of images.

The Huntington
Library, art museum, and botanical gardens with an emphasis on American and British art history, offers some online material as well as research support.

LACMA Collections Online
Collections presented by both region and time period, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art currently has over half its holdings digitized.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Click on the "Enter Here" phrase to access the various permanent and special collection exhibitions.

MOMA: The Museum of Modern Art
The physical site for MOMA is closed due to renovation, but some collections and materials are available through this site.

National Gallery of Art
Located in Washington, DC, this is the art gallery for the nation, but collects much more than US artists. Works are available to view and in many cases have a bibliography link to find more information.

Philadelphia Museum of Art
A limited, but wide-ranging, number of online digital exhibitions found in "Web Projects". Many are multi-media presentations.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Multi-media presentations of art and text in their 'e-space' section.

Smithsonian
The main museum is important, but there are 16 smaller museums many of which will be of specific interest to the art researcher. Some are listed below: 

• Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (industrial design and craft)
• Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Asian)
• Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (contemporary and modern)
• National Museum of African Art
• National Museum of the American Indian (including Latin and South America and some Canadian and Inuit)
• Smithsonian American Art Museum Online Exhibitions

 

Print Resources on Museums

• California Museum Directory: A Guide to Museums, Zoos, Botanic Gardens, and Historic Buildings Open to the Public  REF AM12 .C2 C34 1991
• Handbook of Museum Technology STACKS AM5 .H36 1982
• International Directory of Arts  REF N50 .I6 2000
• Museum Exhibition: Theory and Practice STACKS AM151 .D43 1994
• Museums and the Appropriation of Culture STACKS AM135 .M86 1994
• Official Museum Directory  REF AM10 .A2 O4
• Treasures of the Great National Galleries: An Introduction to the Paintings in the Famous Museums of the Western World  STACKS N410 .T5

Museum Professional Organizations

American Association of Museums
Sets standards and practice for US museums. Organizations accredited by them are listed in a directory.

American Association for State and Local History
Focused on  primarily smaller regional US museums.

International Council of Museums
Sets standards for professional practice in association with UNESCO

UNESCO
Concerned with cultural institutions and education around the world.