Research Tools
- Materials in the NACT Collection
- NACT Publications
- NACT Special Collections
- NACT-Created Databases
- Research Tools that can be used at the Art Library
Materials in the NACT Collection
- NACT Online Library Catalog (OPAC)
- Search for materials in the NACT Collection
- Art Library Consortium (ALC) Search
- Search the libraries of 14 museums at once: The National Art Center, Tokyo; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; The National Museum of Western Art; National Crafts Museum; The National Museum of Art, Osaka; Tokyo National Museum; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Tokyo Photographic Art Museum; Edo-Tokyo Museum; Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum; Yokohama Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama; Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation; Ishibashi Foundation, Artizon Museum.
NACT Publications
- List of NACT-held Exhibition Catalogs
- A list of catalogs from the exhibitions held at NACT
*List from the search results of the NACT online library catalog (OPAC) - NACT website “Publications”
- See a list of materials published by NACT (activity reports, bulletins, etc.)
NACT Special Collections
- 1. Archival materials relating to the activities of the NACT: publications and records
- 2. Archival materials that have entered the NACT collection through donations and purchases
- Art Catalog Library Book Collection (Collection No. SC002)
- A book collection of the Art Catalog Library, a library specializing in exhibition catalogues, which was established in Akasaka, Tokyo, in 1996. The library collected exhibition catalogues by calling on museums across Japan and accepting donations. After the library closed, the collection was transferred to the National Art Center, Tokyo preparatory office in 2004. This collection forms the core of the National Art Center, Tokyo Art Library, which aims to comprehensively collect Japanese exhibition catalogues.
- Yamagishi Nobuo Book Collection (Collection No. SC005)
- A book collection of Yamagishi Nobuo (1929-2008), who operated multiple rental galleries such as Tamura Gallery, Maki Gallery, New Tamura Gallery, Komai Gallery, and Maki/Tamura Gallery.
* For some materials, reservations are required.
* Please click here to see information on another collection from the same source. - Kondo Tatsuo Book Collection (Collection No. SC007)
- A book collection of Kondo Tatsuo (1933-2019), who lived in the United States from 1961 to 2001 and worked as an artist and art journalist. The collection mainly consists of exhibition catalogues collected in the United States, as well as books and magazines.
* For some materials, reservations are required.
* Please click here to see information on another collection from the same source. - Matsumoto Takeshi Book Collection (Collection No. SC009)
- A book collection of Matsumoto Takeshi (1931-), who was an art dealer. The collection mainly focuses on the catalogues of the Tokyo Gallery, where Matsumoto worked from 1958 to 1983.
* For some materials, reservations are required. - Hariu Ichiro Book Collection (Collection No. SC010)
- A book collection of Ichiro Hariu (1925-2010), an important art critic after World War II. The collection mainly consists of Western books, books published in East Asia, exhibition catalogues, and magazines.
* For some materials, reservations are required. - Segi Shinichi Book Collection (Collection No. SC029）
- A book collection of Segi Shinichi (1931-2011), who was an art critic, as well as was involved in art market research and investigation. The collection mainly focuses on exhibition catalogues and books.
* For some materials, reservations are required. - "Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory" Book Collection (Collection No. SC047）
- A collection of books donated by the Keiichi Tanaami Studio, in conjunction with "Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory" exhibition held at the National Art Center, Tokyo (August 7, 2024 - November 11, 2024). The collection includes 47 materials, books, exhibition catalogs, and ephemera.
* For some materials, reservations are required.
Researchers may click on a collection's title below to access the list for materials originally belonging to art professionals and art-related institutions, such as books, photographs, and printed matter, and materials relating to the NACT's activities, such as printed matter, video recordings of events, and exhibition-related materials.
* For ANZAÏ Photo Archive, please see "2. Archival materials that have entered the NACT collection through donations and purchases."
* Use of the collections is limited to research purposes. You will need to apply for materials other than those available in the Art Library and Advance Appointment Service in advance. To check the contents of personal information and select the materials materials, it may take a month or more before they are ready to view. Please apply well in advance.
Book Collections from Art Professionals and Art-related Institutions
Researchers may click on a collection's title below to view the book collections (including books, magazines, and exhibition catalogues) of art professionals and art-related institutions that the National Art Center, Tokyo has collected through transfers, donations, and purchases.
NACT-Created Databases
- Art Commons: Exhibitions Search in Japan
- A database offering information on exhibitions collected from information on art exhibitions held at over 1,000 art museums, galleries and art foundations across Japan.
- “Records of Art Exhibitions in Japan 1945-2005”
- Records of the exhibitions held in around 300 art museums in Japan from 1945 through 2005.
Research Tools that can be used at the Art Library
- Grove Art Online (Oxford Art Online)
- Online version of the Grove Dictionary of Art. It contains approximately 45,000 entries.
- Benezit Dictionary of Artists (Oxford Art Online)
- Online version of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. It contains approximately 190,000 entries.
- Artists of the World
- Online version of the Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (AKL), an encyclopedia of artists. More than one million artists are included.
- NDL Digital Collections <reservations required>
- A service that allows users to access materials digitized by the National Diet Library that are difficult to obtain for reasons, such as being out of print, within public libraries and university libraries nationwide.
- JSTOR
- An online archive of back issues of academic journals launched in 1995 by a non-profit organization in the United States. Titles covered by JSTOR can be cross-searched by keyword.
- Zassaku Plus <reservations required>
- A database of article indexes containing information on articles in general magazines and regionally published magazines from the early Meiji period to the present.
*Quick Guide (in Japanese)
*Indexed Journals List (in Japanese)
- ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) (ProQuest) <reservations required>
- A bibliographic database in the field of modern and contemporary art.
- Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) (ProQuest) <reservations required>
- A bibliographic database in the field of design and crafts.
- International Bibliography of Art (IBA) (ProQuest) <reservations required>
- A bibliographic database in the field of Western and contemporary art.
- Art & Architecture Source (EBSCO) <reservations required>
- A bibliographic database in the field of fine arts. It integrates the following databases: more than 600 periodicals and 220 books with full-text information.
- Art Abstracts
- Art and Architecture Complete
- Art Full Text
- Art Index (1984 onwards)
*Prior reservation is required to use databases marked with "reservations required."
Reference Books
Full-text Databases
Abstracts / Indexes Databases
Image Databases
- ARTSTOR <reservations required>
- A database of 1.6 million images of art and architectural works. Downloaded images can be used only for educational and research purposes, such as university classes.
