Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie
Encyclopedia
The Netherlands Institute for Art History (Dutch: Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie or RKD) is located in The Hague
and is home to the largest art history
center in the world. The center specializes in documentation, archives, and books on Western art from the late middle ages until modern times. All of this is open to the public, and much of it has been digitized and is available on their website. The main goal of the bureau is to collect, categorize, and make art research available, most notably in the field of Dutch Masters.
Via the available databases, the visitor can gain insight into archival evidence on the lives of many artists of past centuries. The library owns approximately 450,000 titles, of which ca. 150,000 are auction catalogs. There are ca. 3,000 magazines, of which 600 are currently running subscriptions. Though most of the text is in Dutch, the standard record format includes a link to library entries and images of known works, which include English as well as Dutch titles.
The RKD also manages the Dutch version of the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, a thesaurus
of terms for management of information on art and architecture. The original version is an initiative of the Getty Museum in Malibu.
, art historian and owner of a massive collection of drawings and prints, and Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
(1863–1930), a collector, art historian and museum curator. Their bequest formed the basis for both the art collection and the library, which is now mostly housed in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library).
http://www.rkd.nl/rkddb/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceArtists&search=priref=
followed by the artist record number. For example, the artist record number for Salvador Dali
is 19752, so his RKD artist page can be referenced here:
http://www.rkd.nl/rkddb/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceArtists&search=priref=19752
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
and is home to the largest art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
center in the world. The center specializes in documentation, archives, and books on Western art from the late middle ages until modern times. All of this is open to the public, and much of it has been digitized and is available on their website. The main goal of the bureau is to collect, categorize, and make art research available, most notably in the field of Dutch Masters.
Via the available databases, the visitor can gain insight into archival evidence on the lives of many artists of past centuries. The library owns approximately 450,000 titles, of which ca. 150,000 are auction catalogs. There are ca. 3,000 magazines, of which 600 are currently running subscriptions. Though most of the text is in Dutch, the standard record format includes a link to library entries and images of known works, which include English as well as Dutch titles.
The RKD also manages the Dutch version of the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, a thesaurus
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations...
of terms for management of information on art and architecture. The original version is an initiative of the Getty Museum in Malibu.
History
The collection was started through bequests by Frits LugtFrits Lugt
Frederik Johannes "Frits" Lugt , was a self-taught collector and connoisseur of Netherlandish drawings and prints and a selfless and tireless compiler of essential reference tools documenting Northern European prints and drawings, collectors' stamps and sale catalogues...
, art historian and owner of a massive collection of drawings and prints, and Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
Cornelis Hofstede de Groot , was a Dutch art collector, art historian and museum curator.-Life:He was the first academically schooled art historian of the Netherlands, receiving his training in Leipzig, which is why much of his work was published in German, most notably his lengthy 10-part...
(1863–1930), a collector, art historian and museum curator. Their bequest formed the basis for both the art collection and the library, which is now mostly housed in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library).
Online artist pages
In the artist database, each artist is assigned a record number. To reference an artist page directly , use the code listed at the bottom of the record, usually of the form:http://www.rkd.nl/rkddb/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceArtists&search=priref=
followed by the artist record number. For example, the artist record number for Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
is 19752, so his RKD artist page can be referenced here:
http://www.rkd.nl/rkddb/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceArtists&search=priref=19752