Welcome to the UWM Art Collection’s Online Database!

The UWM Art Collection comprises a broad array of western and non-western art objects, ancient to contemporary. Areas of special strength include prints from the 15th to 20th century, Greek and Russian Icons, American folk art, and ethnographic collections of Africa and Oceania.

Searching the Collection

Not sure where to start? The Random Images button is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

Looking for a simple search tool? The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Seated Nude will return records associated with Seated OR Nude). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Oil on canvas"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.).

Digging for something even more specific? The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.

Potentially Offensive Materials

The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are no longer (or never were) consistent with the positions, norms, and values of the UWM Mathis Art Gallery, UWM Department of Art History, or of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a whole. Some materials that are part of our digital collections may be considered offensive. The UWM Art Collection, Mathis Art Gallery, and Department of Art History strives to provide context for these items through descriptive records, and where considered necessary, statements attached to the digitized object that provide a warning about potentially sensitive content. This is an area of ongoing research and as such object information is subject to revision. For more information please reach out.

Requesting Reproductions

Reproductions from the collection are not available online, but may be requested by email. Please contact us for additional information.