Art Collection

About the Art Collection

The Collection   

Located on the sixth floor of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library building, the Queens College Library Art Collection has developed since its founding in 1937 into a leading art library of the City University of New York (CUNY). Our collection includes print and electronic resources on all facets of art and art history, theory, criticism, materials, and techniques. These include books, bound periodicals, pamphlets, and exhibition catalogs.   

We have particularly strong holdings in Western European and American art, architectural history, and archeology. The collection constantly expands to include the work of emerging artists, art movements, and global perspectives on art. Please email the Art Librarian if you have a particular acquisition request for art-related materials not represented within the collection. We welcome your suggestions. To access our online catalog, search OneSearch.   

The library maintains a Rare Art Book Collection; items are available upon request and can be consulted within the library. To request access to material from the Rare Art Book Collection, please contact the Art Librarian.   

Research Assistance   

Monday – Thursday from 4 pm to 4:45 pm, the Art Librarian is available for in-person assistance with art-related research. Please schedule an appointment or stop by room 603 on the sixth floor of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library building. Visit the Library’s FAQs to connect with research help via text, email, or chat. We are here to help with your information needs. Faculty, to request classroom instruction, please contact the Art Librarian 

Art Research Guides   

An information resource guide to art history, design, photography, and studio art is available on LibGuides

Art Collection Access   

The Art Collection is on the 6th Floor of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library building, also home to the QC Art Center, a gallery of rotating exhibitions operated by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in collaboration with Art Department staff.   

Donations  

Donations are steadily bringing in important publications and documents, which otherwise it would be difficult to acquire, that strengthen the research potency of the Queens College Library. The Art Collection appreciates the generosity of its supporters. For information on endowments, bequests, and naming opportunities, please contact the Queens College Foundation, or call 718-997-3920. 

We all look forward to welcoming and assisting you in Art!