Artwork References
This page contains reference examples for artwork, including the following:
1. Artwork in a museum or on a museum website
van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/
- Parenthetical citation: (van Gogh, 1889)
- Narrative citation: van Gogh (1889)
- Use this format to cite all types of museum artwork, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, drawings, digital art, crafts, and installations.
- List the artist as the author of the work.
- Always include a description of the medium or format in square brackets after the title. The description is flexible (e.g., a general description such as “[Painting]” or a more specific description such as “[Oil painting]” or “[Oil on canvas]”).
- For untitled artwork, include a description in square brackets in place of a title.
- The name and location of the museum appear in the source element of the reference.
- Provide a link to the artwork on the museum website if available.
2. Art exhibition
Design for eternity: Architectural models from the ancient Americas [Exhibition]. (2015–2016). The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, United States. https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/design-for-eternity
Martinez, J.-L., & Douar, F. (2018–2019). Archaeology goes graphic [Exhibition]. The Louvre, Paris, France. https://www.louvre.fr/en/expositions/archaeology-goes-graphic
- Parenthetical citations: (Design for Eternity, 2015–2016; Martinez & Douar, 2018–2019)
- Narrative citations: Design for Eternity (2015–2016) and Martinez and Douar (2018–2019)
- Provide the curator(s) of the exhibition in the author element of the reference.
- When the curator is unknown, move the title of the exhibition to the author position of the reference.
- The year or range of years of the exhibition appears in the date element of the reference.
- The name and location of the museum appear in the source element of the reference.
- Provide a link to the exhibition on the museum website if available.
3. Informational museum plaque
[Plaque with background information about American Gothic]. (n.d.). Art Institute Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
- Parenthetical citation: ([Plaque with background information about American Gothic], n.d.)
- Narrative citation: [Plaque with background information about American Gothic] (n.d.)
- Provide a description of the plaque in square brackets rather than the name of the artwork or item so it is clear that you are citing the plaque itself.
- If the plaque itself is dated, use that date. If the plaque is not dated, use “n.d.” Do not use the date of the artwork or item being described.
- Information on a plaque is likely consolidated from other sources, making the plaque a secondary source. If possible, cite the same information from a primary source that your readers will be able to retrieve.
Artwork references are covered in Section 10.14 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition
This guidance is new to the 7th edition.