Benezit Dictionary of Asian Artists

The Benezit Dictionary of Artists (2006) is the largest, most up-to-date compendium of artists' biographies in the English language, and for the last century has been an indispensable resource for art researchers. The dictionary is a standard reference work for art research and is known for its coverage of lesser-known artists, images of artists' signatures, and inclusion of auction sale records.

Although Benezit is best known for its coverage of European artists, from its beginnings it has taken a global approach and has long been recognized as an important resource on Asian art, particularly the Chinese and Japanese traditions. The Benezit Dictionary Asian Artists consists of more than 4,700 entries on artists from throughout Asia, including the Middle East, from antiquity to the present. Most of the articles were selected from the 2006 edition of Benezit, with an additional 100 revised and 50 new articles on contemporary artists selected by Advisory Editor Pamela Kember of the Asia Art Archive and University of London. The artists represent a broad range of media, from traditional ink painting to performance and video art. (Benezit Dictionary of Asian Artists does not include architects and photographers who did not also work in another medium represented in the dictionary's scope.)

Entries provide straightforward, concise narratives of the artists' lives and careers, and many entries include bibliographies, auction sale records, exhibition histories, and museum collection holdings. This collection also includes 39 images of artists' signatures.

This spinoff serves as a compact, affordable alternative to the fourteen-volume Benezit for specialists and collectors in the fields of Asian art.