ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the state of research on art magazines, on art in magazines, and on magazines as an art form since 2000, and focuses on studies done on periodicals produced in the United States. Richard Ohmann’s theoretical perspective suggests a framework for describing the ways in which magazines functioned as educators to the rising middle class while at the same time creating taste publics. The chapter considers scholarship on the visual arts only, as a distinct area of scholarship. Few studies were found that explore gender, which would seem like a fruitful topic, especially given the interest in gender shown in other areas of magazine scholarship, in the work of art historians and cultural studies. Yet investigations of gender offer a fruitful avenue for further research, both in terms of portrayals of women in art and in terms of hearing from women artists.
