Watson and Nolen Libraries will be closed Saturday through Monday, February 11-13, for the Lincoln’s Birthday holiday, reopening Tuesday, February 14.  We will be open normal hours Tuesday through Friday, February 14-17.  We will also be closed Saturday through Monday, February 18-20, for the Presidents’ Day holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 21.

Winter Classes for Volunteer Guides

In February and March, Watson Library is offering the following classes:
- Objects Research, Hands-On
- JSTOR, Hands-On
Register for a class here.

Recent purchases with funds provided by
FRIENDS OF THOMAS J. WATSON LIBRARY

Kōgei

Tokyo: Jurakusha, Shōwa 6, 1931­–1951

Watson call number: Bookcage NK 1071.K63, Numbers 1–120.

First published in 1931, Kōgei celebrated the Mingei folk art movement, and was issued monthly, except for a three-year hiatus during World War II.

Keisuke Serizawa (1895–1984), whose work in katazome (stencil dyeing) influenced the periodical’s distinctive cover designs, served as editor from 1931–1932.  Many covers of Kōgei carry stencil-dyed patterns; each of the 120 issues bears a cover unique from the next.  Ranging from plaids to solid colors, from abstract prints to stylized portraits and floral motifs, vibrant materials and dynamic designs highlight the creative nature of this publication. Covers are cotton textile or kozo paper; issues are printed on kozo.

Among other topics, Kōgei ‘s content examines ceramics, printmaking, bookbinding, calligraphy, Japanese paper, tea ceremony, embroidery, Kurashiki carpets, handmade textiles and dyeing; as well as the Mingei movement outside Tokyo.  Articles and individual issues focus on the work of Serizawa, Kanjirō Kawai (1890­–1966), Shikō Munakata (1903–1975), Shōji Hamada (1894–1978), and British Ceramicist Bernard H. Leach (1887–1979).

Watson library is one of few institutions worldwide to own a complete set of this periodical.

Issues shown above: 91-96, 101-106 (Please click on image to see all covers).

FEATURED RESOURCE: Benezit Dictionary of Artists

Thanks to the efforts of the Image Library, the Museum now has access to the Benezit Dictionary of Artists via the Oxford Art Online gateway. With entries on over 190,000 artists, the Benezit is one of the most comprehensive and definitive resources on artists. Unique features include the dictionary’s coverage of obscure artists and the inclusion of images of artists’ signatures, monograms, and stamps. The Benezit is valued for both its wide coverage of lesser-known artists and its deep coverage of artists occupying the core pantheon of art.
You can access the Benezit Dictionary of Artists via Watsonline. Remote access is available for Museum staff and volunteers.

FEATURED RESOURCE: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

Also known as Dissertation Abstracts, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I is the world’s most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses.  This resource includes 2.7 million searchable citations to dissertation and theses from around the world from 1861 to the present day.  In addition to the author written abstracts for doctoral dissertations published since July 1980 and Master’s theses published since 1988, PQDT – A&I includes 24-page previews of dissertations and theses where available. With scholarly research content in every subject, PQDT is a multi-disciplinary resource that supports all academic departments and disciplines. (Read more about PQDT )
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DIGITIZATION PROJECT: KNOEDLER & COMPANY EXHIBITION CATALOGS

A collaborative project coordinated by the Thomas J. Watson Library to preserve and digitize the early exhibition catalogs of Knoedler & Company, a renowned art gallery in New York, is now complete.

Knoedler & Company was established in 1857 and has been among the most important art dealers in New York City for a century and a half.  Following the pattern of Watson Library’s successful collaboration with the Frick Art Reference Library on the Macbeth Gallery project, we worked with Knoedler & Company and the Arcade libraries (Frick Art Reference Library, Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives, and the Museum of Modern Art Library) to identify Knoedler exhibition catalogs, pamphlets, and checklists in our collections to create a series that is as complete as possible.

In total, we digitized 898 catalogs, checklists, and unpublished materials from the Watson, Arcade, and Knoedler collections, comprising approximately 14,000 pages of content created between 1869 and 1946.  Many items include extensive handwritten annotations; in several cases, more than one copy of a particular catalog was digitized to capture these unique additions.

Access to these items is available through WATSONLINE and WorldCat.  The catalogs are full-text searchable in Watson Library’s digital content management system, CONTENTdm.

Digitzed Knoedler catalogs from Watson Library Digital Collections
List of Knoedler catalogs in WATSONLINE

This project was made possible by the Lifchez Stronach Fund for Preservation at the Thomas J. Watson Library and funds from the Frick Art Reference Library.