Research Guides: Art History: Exhibition Reviews

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Exhibition Reviews

What is an exhibition review?

Exhibition reviews are an important way of creating active critical discussion, and also of building tomorrow’s art history. Art exhibition reviews serve two purposes: (1) to tell readers who haven’t seen the exhibition a little about it so they can consider going, and (2) to document and critique the activities of a city’s art world.

Exhibition reviews are excellent sources for researching emerging artists who are not yet represented in scholarly literature as well as established artists in order to gain insight into the reception of their work over time. They can be found in major US newspapers as well as in many peer-reviewed visual arts journals and critical art magazines. This page includes resources to finding and writing exhibition reviews.

Examples of Exhibition Reviews

Below are just a few examples of exhibition reviews with various date ranges in various arts journals/publications to give you a sense of content, presentation, writing style, and critical analysis.

Finding Exhibition Reviews Online: Contemporary Reviews

Search Tip: If you know the name of the exhibition, use that in your search strategy. If you are not sure but know the artist you want to find exhibition reviews on/about, then type the name of the artist in your search AND a keyword "review*" which will search for reviews.

Los Angeles Times, 1985-present

New York Times, 1980 - Present This link opens in a new window Full-text coverage of the New York Times, 1980 to present, via the ProQuest search interface.
For institutional access to the New York Times via the website, please follow the set up instructions here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/nytimes
ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) This link opens in a new window ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) offers information on modern and contemporary art, dating from the late 19th-century – present, including photography since its invention. Scholarship dates are from the 1960s-present. A good database for research on: contemporary art, performance, video art, computer/electronic art, graffiti art, artists’ books, museum design, ceramics, fashion, and more. Documents include: scholarly articles, exhibition reviews, books and book reviews, conference proceedings, and exhibition catalog entries. Languages: English, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese.
Art and Architecture Source This link opens in a new window An excellent starting point for all visual arts research! This database covers all periods and media (historical and contemporary, decorative and commercial art, various areas of architecture and architectural design). It includes scholarship starting from the 1930s to the present, is international in scope.

Art Daily The first art newspaper online.
Rhimzone Dedicated to the creation, presentation, preservation, and critique of emerging artistic practices that engage technology.

Finding Exhibition Reviews Online: Historical Reviews

Los Angeles Times Historical This link opens in a new window Provides access to the full text, "as printed" edition of Los Angeles Times, including images and advertisements, from 1881 - 1997.
New York Times Historical This link opens in a new window Provides access to the full text, "as printed" edition of The New York Times, including images and advertisements. Coverage begins with the first edition published in 1851 and extends to three years from the present day (due to a rolling embargo).
Art and Architecture Source This link opens in a new window An excellent starting point for all visual arts research! This database covers all periods and media (historical and contemporary, decorative and commercial art, various areas of architecture and architectural design). It includes scholarship starting from the 1930s to the present, is international in scope.
Times Digital Archive, 1785 - 2014 This link opens in a new window Full-text facsimile of The Times, Britain’s oldest national daily newspaper from 1785-2014.

Resources for Writing Exhibition Reviews

A Short Guide to Writing about Art by Sylvan Barnet
Find this book in Langson Library with call number: N7476 .B37 2015. This book includes a very helpful chapter titled "Writing a review of an exhibition" covering what a review is, drafting a review, a checklist for revising a review, and three short examples to consult and reference.
"Writing Reviews" via The Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD)
This library has put together a wonderful hand-out on writing art reviews, which includes guidance on: Establishing a clear context; elements of a strong descriptive observation including physical qualities, form, content, and presentation, interaction; and tips on critical analysis and connection to art and history broadly.

Recommended Books

Bad New Days : art, criticism, emergency by Hal Foster
Publication Date: 2015
This book looks at the last 25 years of artistic practice in Western Europe and North America, positioning it in relation to a general condition of emergency that neoliberalism and the war of terror have brought with them.
A Theater Criticism/Arts Journalism Primer by Bob Abelman; Cheryl Kushner
Publication Date: 2013
Examines the skill set associated with being a critic and arts journalist. It explores the history, evolution, and future of the profession in the United States, and carefully and purposefully dissects the preparation, observation, and writing process associated with generating thoughtful and interesting arts criticism.