The Phillips Collection Library and Archives

	Study area of the library and archives. Photo © Robert Lautman

The library contains material that supports research on works of art in the museum’s permanent collection, special exhibitions, and the history of the museum. The archives contain the writings of Duncan Phillips, the museum’s founder, and a wide array of source material on the history of the museum.

The non-circulating library collection is comprised of approximately 8,000 books, which focus on nineteenth and twentieth century European and American art. Included are monographs on artists in The Phillips Collection, exhibition catalogues, museum permanent collection catalogues, books on photography, as well as Phillips Collection publications from the 1920s to the present. The reference collection contains encyclopedias, directories, and biographical dictionaries. Vertical files provide information on individual artists, art subjects, and art institutions in the form of small exhibition catalogues, articles, and reviews.

The library also subscribes to several online resources, including the Dictionary of Art Online, Art Index Retrospective, and Bibliography of the History of Art.

Reader qualifications
Prospective readers must be adults with a focused research project that relates to the permanent collection or history of The Phillips Collection. Qualified readers may be currently enrolled graduate or doctoral students; current faculty or teaching staff at a university; current staff of a museum, gallery, auction house, or art dealer; authors; or professional researchers with a written referral from a professional in the field describing the research.

Make an appointment
Please call (202) 387-2151 x212 to arrange an appointment with the librarian. Available research hours are Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Readers should expect to present identification, including institutional affiliation, photo, and current address upon entering the library.

Briefcases, coats, bags, backpacks, packages and books must be left in the museum’s checkroom. Researchers may use their own laptops in the library.