The Thomas J. Watson Library Contemporary Catalogues Project

The Contemporary Catalogues Project is an initiative to collect and preserve exhibition catalogues published by contemporary art galleries around the world. Through the dedication of library staff, volunteers, interns, and the generosity of galleries worldwide, Watson Library has acquired more than 26,000 print and digital publications through the project since its launch in 2001, representing more than 85 countries and 80 languages, many of which are freely accessible online.

Contemporary Catalogues Project Index

The Contemporary Catalogues Project Index is designed to recognize and highlight participating galleries and to make their catalogues discoverable to researchers worldwide. The index offers links to exhibition catalogues for emerging and established artists from diverse backgrounds.

Notes About the Index

Related Content

MARC Record Set for Libraries

Bibliographic MARC records for the PDFs in this collection are available for download on Watson’s MARC Record Sets page, enabling libraries to facilitate discovery and access in their catalogs.

Guidance and Assistance

For help via email, or other questions, comments, corrections, or concerns, please contact us at watson.library@metmuseum.org.


The Contemporary Catalogues Project is directed by Holly Phillips. The project team consists of volunteers who conduct gallery research and outreach, and library staff who catalog and make the publications available and discoverable through Watsonline. Current project team members are: Susan Appel, Jared Ash, Anne-Marie Belli, William Blueher, Julie Bordwin, Tamara Fultz, Emma Guest-Consales, Raymond Lei, Tina Lidogoster, Elizabeth Lizan, Luxuan Liu, Daisy Paul, Melissa Raymond, Elizabeth Schneider, Jeanne Short, Eleanor Yadin, and Irina Zaionts.

Credit for promotional image: Jeffrey Gibson: All Good Fires (New York: Sikkema Jenkins & Co., 2021), PDF.