Harvard Referencing Guide

How to Cite Artworks in Harvard Style

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    The rules for citing an artwork found in a museum or a museum website differ substantially from those for an image found in a secondary source like a book or blog post.

    When citing an artwork found in a museum or a museum website you will need the following:

    • Artist name
    • Date of composition
    • Title of artwork
    • Medium (“oil on canvas”/“graphite on paper”, etc.)
    • Name and location of museum or gallery
    • Link to artwork on the museum/gallery website (if viewed online)

    Format for citing artwork in a gallery or museum

    Surname, Initial(s). (Date) Title [Medium]. Museum/Gallery, City.

    For example:

    Pollock, J. (1946) Eyes in the Heat [Oil and enamel on canvas]. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

    Format for citing artwork viewed online

    To cite an artwork viewed online, the format is as follows:

    Surname, Initial(s). (Date) Title [Medium]. Museum/Gallery, City. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

    For example:

    Constable, J. (1821)The Hay Wain [Oil on canvas]. The National Gallery, London. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain (Accessed: 9 November 2020).

    Citing an exhibition 

    To cite a museum or gallery exhibition, you will need the following:

    • Title of the exhibition
    • Exhibition date(s)
    • Name and location of museum or gallery

    Format for citing an exhibition

    Exhibition Title (Year) [Exhibition]. Museum/Gallery, City. Date(s) of exhibition.

    For example:

    Modernism in Miniature (2022-2023) [Exhibition]. Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena. 12 August 2022-9 January 2023.

    Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms (2022-2023) [Exhibition]. Tate Modern, London. 18 May 2021-11 June 2023.

    Format for citing an individual artwork in an exhibition

    Artist Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of artwork [Medium] in Title of Exhibition [Exhibition]. Gallery/Museum, City. Date(s) of exhibition.

    For example:

    Klee, P. (1922) Park [Colour collotype on laid paper] in Modernism in Miniature [Exhibition]. Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena. 12 August 2022-9 January 2023.