ABSTRACT
Essentially, there are two fields in the journalism of art: news and criticism. And when it comes to reporting on the business of art, one flounders while one completely ignores. From the turn of the century to the present day, there has been a movement to create art world-specific publications that cater to this glamorous business world – ARTNews, Artnet, The Art Newspaper, Art in America – but they cannot bravely go for the bold investigative stories because they risk alienating not just their sources but their readership. While more mainstream business outlets such as Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Timesdo their best to pick up the pieces (sometimes literally picking up trending art news stories), this dichotomy still underscores the problems associated with the insular world of art business, and the challenges of accessing financial documents and the market viability overall. This chapter explores the challenges and history.
