Find inspiration from the diverse collections in the Sherman Art Library!

two students work in the Sherman Library

Explore three floors of collections relating to art, architecture, photography, and design.

Collection Highlights

  • The Art Special Collection
  • an art history reference collection
  • a display of selected art journals on the main floor
  • two floors of circulating collections below

Explore the Collections

Would you like to view items from the Art Special Collection? Find more information about visiting Sherman Art Library under Plan Your Visit.

Selections from the Collection

cover of Zodiac graphic novel

Sherman Art Library houses the Art Special Collection. This hidden gem contains handmade artists' books from around the world, facsimiles of ancient manuscripts, catalogues raisonnés showcasing the complete works of artists, and other rare art historical items.

The Grumpies book propped open on a yellow background

The Grumpies by Aimee Lee. The poem “The Grumpies” is printed on handmade paper and sewn to pages knitted from pine bark that have been dyed with India ink. The pages echo the grump feeling of the poem. Aimee Lee is an artist & writer who makes books and paper and advocates for Korean papermaking practices in the U.S.

The catalog raisonné is propped up on the wooden mantle Sherman Library. The cover shows Fini's paintin, Little Hermit Sphinx.

Leonor Fini: a catalogue raisonné of oil paintings. Catalogue raisonnés are vital tools for the field of art history, allowing scholars and artists to review all of an artist’s work over the scope of their lifetime, sometimes focused on a specific medium, such as painting or drawing.

The book De la loi du contraste simultané des couleur open to a page with dots of different colors in horizontal lines

De la loi du contraste simultané des couleur : et de l'assortiment des objets colorés by Michel Chevreul. Chevreul, considered a founder of organic chemistry and the field of gerontology, was a chemist and scientist who greatly influenced the worlds of art and design. While assessing manufacturing dyes he developed his theory of simultaneous colors, or how one color influences the visual perception of another. First published in 1839, this theory greatly influenced the Impressionists and Neo Impressionists as well as manufacturers of clothing in the 19th century.