Library

Information on 800 years of art history
Some 210,000 books, catalogues, periodicals, CDs, DVDs and other kinds of media on artists and themes related to the Kunsthalle are available to you. The emphasis is on the various fields of collection and research activities of the Hamburger Kunsthalle. This reference library is the most substantial art-historical specialist library in the North German region. Moreover, the library catalogue makes thematically relevant digital sources searchable.

Special Collections
Reproductions of artworks, the publications archive and press archive of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, archival materials from the museum’s environment, various artists’ estates

Book Art
Illustrated books and artists’ books

INFORMATION

The library team will be pleased to answer your questions on how to use the library and the catalogue, on the library collection and on particular artists and art-related topics.

Call us, write us a letter, or an e-mail.
 

GUIDED TOURS AND EVENTS

On request we offer to groups guided tours through the library collection, introductions to the use of the library and events on information literacy in the field of art and art history.

Specific guided tours and events of the library are featured in the calendar.

USE OF THE LIBRARY

You may access the library holdings on site, in the reading room. Materials from the special collections and book art will be displayed on request, during the hours scheduled for their presentation.

Which media will you find in the library?

The library collects
Exhibition and collection catalogues of museums, galleries and other art institutions worldwide, Artist’s monographs, particulary catalogues raisonnés, Auction and inventory catalogues, 247 magazine subscriptions and Reference works

Special collections of the library
In the special collections of the library you will find Reproductions (prints and photographs) of artworks and buildings, X-ray images of artworks from the Hamburger Kunsthalle’s collection, all publications of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, press articles on the activities of the Hamburger Kunsthalle (complete up to and including 2012), all printed matter of the Hamburger Kunsthalle and archival material and artists’ estates from the entourage of the Hamburger Kunsthalle

Section for book art
The section for book art comprises illustrated books from the 13th to the 21st century and Artists’ books from the 20th and the 21st century.

Which media formats are available in the library?

The library is not limited to a particular kind of media. The holdings mainly comprise books and periodicals, but also single documents, small brochures, CDs, DVDs, videos, records, cassettes and various electronic media.

Are there any digital holdings?

The original illustrations contained in the books from the field of book art are currently being digitalised and made accessible. They can be searched via the collection database of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

The University Library of Heidelberg digitalized more than 200 auction catalogues in the frame of the DFG project “German Sales 1901–1945”. For further information on the project, go to Arthistoricum und Getty

Please find the digital copies via the library catalogue of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

How old is the collection?

Most items are from the 20th century. The old collection from the 16th – 19th century comprises around 8,000 items. In the field of book art, the library owns 48 incunabula. These may also be searched in the Incunabula Short Title Catalogue of the British Library or via the Inkunabelkatalog INKA of the University Library of Tübingen.

As part of the HaKiN project (Hamburger Kulturgut im Netz), the State and University Library is digitising objects that are of particular importance to science, education and the Hamburg metropolitan region. These can be found here in addition to our library catalogue.

Are we still collecting?

The library’s growth, achieved through gifts, the exchange of publications, acquisitions and specimen copies, amounts to approx. 2,500 media items annually, One third of the annual acquisitions consists of artists’ monographs, catalogues raisonnés and art-historical literature. Two thirds of the new arrivals are exhibition and collection catalogues. The library holds 247 subscriptions of periodicals. We collect specialist literature in all languages. The major part of the media, however, is in German or English.

Who may use the library?

The library is accessible to the public and may be used by anyone interested.

Can the media be borrowed?

No, the library is a reference library. The holdings may be viewed in the reading room during opening hours.

Is it possible to establish a reference collection?

Those who frequently visit the library and want to repeatedly access the same media, have the possibility of establishing their own reference books in the reading room. Please address one of the librarians to learn more.

Can I bring my laptop with me?

Yes, you can. There are plenty of sockets for laptops in the reading room.

Is it allowed to copy, photograph or scan the media?

The library staff will make up to 10 black-and-white photocopies with a book copying machine for you, if the state of preservation and the material of the items allows it. One copy costs € 0.25–0.50. In this context, the provisions of copyright law are to be observed.

Illustrated books and artists’ books and items from the special collections cannot be copied for conservational reasons.

Taking photos without a flash is allowed. Again, the provisions of copyright law are to be observed. The library has a tripod for your camera. Please do not hesitate to address the library staff members.

Bringing a scanner is not permitted for conservational reasons. It is currently also not possible to scan media in the reading room.