The APA Format for Artwork

Basic Artwork References

• When referencing artwork you have seen in person, there is certain information you will need to include. Make note of the artist's name, date of the artwork, title, medium, and the name and location of the museum or gallery. When you format an artwork citation in your reference list, there are some things to remember. The artist's last name always goes before the first name, the date of the work should be in parenthesis, the title is italicized and the medium is placed in brackets. For example:

  Degas, Edgar. (1874). The Dance Class [painting]. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Online Sources

• Referencing artwork found in an online source follows much of the same format as a basic reference. You will need the artist's name, date of the artwork, title and medium. If the artwork depicted is from a museum, you will need the location and name of the museum. Additionally, you need the date you accessed the online artwork and the URL. For example:

  Degas, Edgar. (1874). The Dance Class [painting]. New York, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 20, 2011, from http://smarthistory.org/degas-dance-class.html

Print Sources

• Referencing artwork from a print source is a bit different, and its format requires additional information. Instead of the artist's name and title of artwork, you will use the author's name and title of publication. Additionally, you need to note the name and location for the publisher. For example:

  Herbert, Robert. (1988) Impressionism: art, leisure, and Parisian society. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

In-text Citations

• In addition to including artwork in a reference list, APA style calls for the creation of in-text citations. One way to format an in-text citation is by using the author's name and date of work in a sentence in which you are discussing the artwork. Another option is to provide a citation in parenthesis with the artist's last name and date of work. For example, (Degas, 1874). If your source is a print publication, you must use the author's name instead of the artist, and the publication date versus the date of the artwork.