Harvard Referencing Guide

How to Cite Artworks in Harvard Style

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.