How to Cite an Artwork: APA, MLA, & Chicago

• Oct 31, 2025
• 8 min read

• Tags: APA Citations, APA Style, Chicago Citation, Chicago Style, Citations and References, Formatting Guidelines, MLA Citations, MLA Style

A major part of academic integrity is citing your sources correctly. Whether you have viewed a painting, sculpture, or digital image online, in a catalog, or in person at a museum, our go-to guide will help you cite these works of art efficiently in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. 

Information you need before you cite artwork

Here is a checklist of the basic information you require before you cite an artwork. These parameters will help you put together a comprehensive and efficient citation:

• Artist’s name
• Title of the artwork
• Year of creation
• Medium (e.g., oil on canvas, marble, photograph)
• Dimensions (optional)
• Holding institution (museum, gallery, or private collection)
• City 
• URL (if online)
• Website name (for MLA)
• Access date (Chicago only if no publication date is available)

Where to find these details

Now that you know what information you need to create your citation, here are some places where you can find the information you’re looking for:

• Museum websites (e.g., The Met, MoMA)
• Catalog records and exhibition labels
• Art databases like Artstor, Oxford Art Online
• If any of the required data is missing:
  • Use “n.d.” for no date
  • Use a brief description in quotes for any untitled works

How to cite a painting you viewed online

In the digital era, the easiest and most common method to source an artwork is to look it up on the internet simply. Here is a quick and practical guide on how to cite a painting you have viewed online:

APA:

Leutze, E. (1851). Washington Crossing the Delaware [Painting]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417

MLA:

Leutze, Emmanuel. Washington Crossing the Delaware. 1851. The Met, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417..

Chicago:

Leutze, Emmanuel. Washington Crossing the Delaware. 1851. Oil on canvas. 149 x 255 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417

Common mistakes

Here are some common errors people make and points that are often forgotten when citing an artwork, and how to avoid them:

• Remember that APA requires the medium in brackets (e.g., [Painting])
• Remember that MLA italicizes website titles
• Remember that Chicago includes the medium and dimensions
• Remember not to add a period after URLs in APA

How to cite a painting you saw in person 

If you saw a painting in person—say, at a museum—you would likely not have a URL to add to your citation. Here’s how to properly cite an artwork seen in person using APA, MLA, and Chicago styles:

APA:

Leutze, E. (1851). Washington Crossing the Delaware [Painting]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States.

If a stable museum page exists, you may include the URL. Otherwise, it is better to end after the location.

MLA:

Leutze, Emmanuel. Washington Crossing the Delaware. 1851, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Chicago:

Leutze, Emmanuel. Washington Crossing the Delaware. 1851. Oil on canvas. 149 x 255 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

How to cite photographs, sculptures, and other artworks

Artworks are not limited to paintings—they also include other formats of artistic expression, such as photographs, sculptures, etc. Here’s how to cite them correctly in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats:

APA variations:

Adams, A. (1942). Moonrise over Hernandez [Photograph]. Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States.

Rodin, A. (1904). The Thinker [Sculpture]. Musée Rodin, Paris, France.

MLA variations:

Adams, Ansel. Moonrise over Hernandez. 1942. MoMA, New York.

Rodin, Auguste. The Thinker. 1904. Musée Rodin, Paris.

For untitled works, it is advisable to use a brief description in place of the title (without italics):

“Portrait of a Woman.” ca. 1800 BCE. Terracotta, National Museum, New Delhi.

Chicago variations:

Adams, Ansel. Moonrise over Hernandez. 1942. Photograph. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Rodin, Auguste. The Thinker. 1904. Bronze. Musée Rodin, Paris.

How to cite reproductions of artwork in books and journals

Artworks are often reproduced in books and journals for wider viewership. Here’s how to correctly cite an artwork you have viewed in a book or journal:

APA

Book:

Van Gogh, V. (1889). Starry Night [Oil on canvas]. In F. S. Kleiner (Ed.), Gardner’s Art Through the Ages (15th ed., p. 812). Cengage.

Journal:

Van Gogh, V. (1889). Starry Night [Oil on canvas]. In J. Smith, “The Symbolism of Night in Post-Impressionism,” Art History Quarterly, 22(3), 45–60.

MLA

Book:

Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 15th ed., edited by Fred S. Kleiner, Cengage, 2016, p. 812.

Journal:

Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. Art History Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 3, 2016, p. 45.

Chicago 

Book

Footnote:

Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, in Fred S. Kleiner, ed., Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 15th ed. (Boston: Cengage, 2016), 812.

Bibliography:

Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. Oil on canvas. In Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 15th ed., edited by Fred S. Kleiner, 812. Boston: Cengage, 2016.

Journal

Footnote:

Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, discussed in Jane Smith, “The Symbolism of Night in Post-Impressionism,” Art History Quarterly 22, no. 3 (2016): 45.

Bibliography:

Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. Oil on canvas. Discussed in Smith, Jane. “The Symbolism of Night in Post-Impressionism.” Art History Quarterly 22, no. 3 (2016): 45–60.

In the Chicago style, it is recommended to use captions and figure labelings, like so:

Fig. 1. Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

In-text citations for artwork

An in-text citation is one that appears in the midst of a passage of text, not in the footnotes or bibliography. Here’s how to cite artwork in-text correctly in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats:

APA:

(Leutze, 1851) Or narrative: Leutze (1851) depicted…

If no artist: (“Portrait of a Woman,” n.d.)

MLA:

(Leutze) In prose: Emmanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware…

Chicago:

Use footnotes referencing your full entry. When referring to figures, cite as follows:

(fig. 1)

Captions and figures 

Here’s how to cite and caption figures as per APA, MLA, and Chicago styles:

1. APA 

Label the figure as Figure 1 and include the following details in the caption:

• Artist
• Title (italicized)
• Medium
• Date
• Location
• URL (if online)

Eg., Figure 1 Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, oil on canvas, 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.

2. MLA 

Label as Fig. 1. and include the following details in the caption:

• Artist
• Title (italicized)
• Date
• Medium
• Holding institution
• City

E.g.: Figure 1. Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.

3. Chicago

Label the figure as Figure 1 or Fig. 1. and include the following details in the caption:

• Artist
• Title (italicized)
• Medium
• Date
• Location
• URL (if online)

E.g.: Figure 1. Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.

Always remember to place the caption directly below the figure.

Common issues and how to troubleshoot them

Here are some common issues faced due to a lack of sufficient information about the artwork, and how to fix them:

1. Unknown artist or date:

• Use “Anonymous” or omit the artist
• Use “n.d.” for “no date”

2. Untitled works:

• MLA: Use a brief description in quotes (e.g., “Portrait of a Woman”)
• APA: Use a description in place of the title, let the medium remain in brackets

3. Multiple creators, series, or alternate titles:

• List a primary creator
• Include additional contributors if relevant (e.g., photographer, editor)
• For series, cite individual works or the series title (as required)

How to cite a digital artwork

A digital artwork refers to a work of art produced using digital tools, usually accessed online. Here’s how to cite digital artworks correctly using APA, MLA, and Chicago formats:

APA

Format: Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of artwork [Digital artwork]. Website Name. URL

Example: Devi, A. (2023). Digital Bloom [Digital painting]. DeviArtStudio. https://www.deviartstudio.com/digital-bloom

MLA

Format: Artist Last, First. Title of Artwork. Date. Website Title, URL.

Example: Devi, Anjali. Digital Bloom. 2023. DeviArtStudio, www.deviartstudio.com/digital-bloom.

Chicago

Format: Artist Last, First. Title of Artwork. Year. Digital artwork. Website Name. URL.

Example: Devi, Anjali. Digital Bloom. 2023. Digital painting. DeviArtStudio. https://www.deviartstudio.com/digital-bloom

How to cite your own artwork

Here’s how to cite your own artwork in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Remember to use “author’s collection” if the work is not yet publicly displayed.

APA

Format: Last Name, Initial. (Year). Title of artwork [Medium]. Author’s collection.

Example: Patel, R. (2023). Whispering Monsoon [Digital painting]. Author’s collection.

MLA

Format: Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year, Medium, Author’s collection.

Example: Patel, Riya. Whispering Monsoon. 2023, Digital painting, Author’s collection.

Chicago 

Format: Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year. Medium. Dimensions (if applicable). Author’s collection.

Example: Patel, Riya. Whispering Monsoon. 2023. Digital painting. 24 x 36 in. Author’s collection.

Copy-paste mini cheat sheet 

Now that you have got the basics of citing different works of art in place, here is a copy-paste-ready cheat sheet of citation templates to help you out when you’re in a rush:

1. APA

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title [Medium]. Museum, City, State/Country. URL

2.  MLA

Artist Last, First. Title. Year, Museum, City. Website Title, URL.

3. Chicago

Artist Last, First. Title. Year. Medium. Dimensions. Museum, City. URL.

Citing artwork correctly is a way to honor and give credit to the artists behind them while simultaneously making it easier for potential art enthusiasts to look up the masterpieces you have referenced. Mastering these citation techniques will help you bring more visibility to the works cited while also maintaining your academic integrity and respecting the artists who created them. 

You can always take help from PaperTrue’s expert editing services for flawless citations. Our experienced editors will make your citations and formatting perfect!

Here are some more resources that may help you:

Found this article helpful?

0

0

Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.