Arts Magazine
Arts Magazine was a prominent monthly magazine devoted to fine art. It was established in 1926 and last published in 1992.
![](../I/ArtsMag-April_1981.jpg.webp)
ISSN 0004-4059
History
Early years
Launched in 1926 and originally titled The Art Digest, it was printed semi-monthly from October to May and monthly from June to September.[1] Its stated purpose was to provide complete coverage of arts exhibitions in America, collated from all relevant news sources.
Growth
Art Digest was later purchased by James N. Rosenberg and Jonathan Marshall (who would subsequently own and publish the Scottsdale Daily Progress newspaper). In 1954, the title was changed to Arts Digest;[2] then, in 1955, the title was changed to ARTS. The word "Digest" was dropped (as explained by Marshall in the September 15, 1955 issue) due to newer features, design modernization, and a widening audience. "We realized that there was a great need in this country for a serious art magazine to serve the growing public," the announcement stated. "Perhaps," he continued, "the best description of our editorial aims in the new ARTS can be found in the words interesting, unbiased, and authoritative."[3] Contributors to that issue included J.P. Hodin, Martica Sawin, Robert Rosenblum, Ada Louise Huxtable, and Dore Ashton, whose article "What is 'avant-garde'?" was the feature essay.
After Marshall and Rosenberg sold it in 1958, the publication was finally named Arts Magazine in 1961[4]. Regular contributors at the time included Donald Judd, Helen De Mott, Sidney Tillim, Annette Michelson, Michael Fried, Lawrence Alloway, Jan Butterfield, and April Kingsley.
The magazine's offices were in New York City and it was last published by Art Digest, Co.[5] The magazine was glossy and priced at $4.00 a copy in 1981. The April 1981 issue (see photo) had a cover story called "Gertrude Greene: Constructions of the 1930s and 1940s", written by Jacqueline Moss.
Closure
The last issue to reach subscribers was March 1992, featuring Alexandra Anderson-Spivy on artist Rackstraw Downes and Annie Sprinkle on Jeff Koons. The April issue was published but never mailed. Editors at the time[6] included Dore Ashton, Jerry Saltz, Barry Schwabsky, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, Peter Selz, John Yau, Elizabeth Frank, and Jeanne Siegel.
Revival
As of 2020, the magazine is in the process of a revival. A new team of writers from leading media publications (e.g. The New York Times) and universities (Vanderbilt, New York University) has been assembled and website in developed and prepared for the official launch.[7]
References
- The Art Digest Archived August 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Steiner Agency. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- "Arts digest". Arts Digest. 1954. ISSN 0277-9013. OCLC 4866559.
- Marshall, Jonathan (September 15, 1955). "Arts Digest": 5. Cite journal requires
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(help) - "Arts magazine". Arts Magazine. 1961. ISSN 0004-4059. OCLC 1580772.
- Arts Magazine, WorldCat. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- "Masthead". Arts Magazine. March 1992.
- https://artsmagazine.com/
External links
- Article about Louise Nevelson from Art Digest, November 15, 1943. Louise Nevelson papers. Archives of American Art. Retrieved November 6, 2011.