Art Critic

Art Critic Career

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Art Critics evaluate artistic endeavours, giving their opinions on specific pieces, larger schools of art, trends where art is heading, and the general state of the artistic community today. To spread their opinion, Art Critics generally work in a field that has outlets to distribute their voice, like journalism or academia.

As an Art Critic you will visit galleries, museums, studios, and anywhere art is presented. You write critical reviews of the works you see judging their style, technique, and vision.

Technically you can write however you want, although historically you direct your analysis at a well-educated audience. For example Robert Hughes, an art critic for the New York Times, poked fun of art prices by saying, “The auction room, as anyone knows, is an excellent medium for sustaining fictional price levels, because the public imagines that auction prices are necessarily real prices.” While this makes sense, and is even kind of funny, the convoluted structure and unnecessarily high diction is not ideal for most professions. However art connoisseurs both appreciate and demand this a highfalutin conversation, so be prepared to cater to such an audience.

Altogether you need a high level of education in art history and theory, and a certain amount of pretension to do this work. After all, you are dealing with high culture, and must to be able to distinguish the real art from the kitsch.

How do I become an Art Critic?

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To pronounce judgment upon new works of art, you should be thoroughly versed in the classics. So a lot of studying is needed. Start off with a bachelor’s degree and work on forming your voice, taste, and opinions. If you want to become a respected authority in this field you should probably complete a PhD.