List of Australian art critics (news periodicals)

This is a sortable list of Australian art critics who wrote for major newspapers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, during which such periodicals carried the majority of current, contemporaneous art criticism; and the 21st century when most such papers ceased art reviews.

Of the role of the critic Baudelaire in the chapter A quoi bon la critique in Le salon de 1846, published posthumously in Curiosités esthétiques in 1868, declared: As for criticism itself, I hope that philosophers will understand what I am going to say: to be just, as its very reason for being, criticism must be partial, passionate, political, as made from an exclusive point of view, but from the point of view which opens the most horizons." Australian sculptor and academic, Judy Hamilton writes to distinguish this genre:...criticism that appears in newspapers is written for a general audience, and the real substance of newspaper art criticism can best be summed up as providing an antidote for the 'vernacular glance'. This term, coined by art historian Brian O'Doherty in 1974, refers to the modern phenomenon of viewing an exhibition casually, with eyes darting indiscriminately from object to object in an ineffectual effort to take in the entire exhibition at once. The work of the critic is effectively to map an exhibition for an audience, and thereby transform the vernacular glance into an informed glance that is capable of discerning either meaning or emptiness in the work on show.Barker and Green, noting the number of art critics writing for Australian newspapers in the 1970s, consider that 'this writing was essentially ephemeral, based on the assessment of the wide spectrum of ... exclusively local, art exhibitions. It was essentially a form of reportage.

In 2012 Osborne, writing in the Australian Art Monthly, noticed a general devaluing and disparagement of the newspaper critic and warned that: ... the progressively weakened position of newspaper art criticism and the threat of it disappearing altogether from mass market newspapers ... could have far-reaching repercussions ... a nodal rupture in the network of relationships between the art world and the wider public. The complex ecology of the art world needs this link with the wider public. It needs a healthy balance between critical writing in art journals and newspapers.

+Australian nineteenth- and twentieth-century newspaper and magazine critics. Name Life Newspaper or magazine DatesGender1950–The Australian1972–74M1950–The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney)1972–74M1953–Australian Financial Review2005–2008M1893–1962The Sun News-Pictorial1925-26F1953–The Australian2008>M1953–The Sydney Morning Herald1987–1991M1877–1964The Argus1910–11M1877–1964Sydney Sunc.1912–c.1936M1934–2020The Australian1995–2001M1927–2015Sunday Mail (S.A.)1963–64M1878–1966The Sun News-Pictorial1923–50M1912–1986The Sydney Morning Herald1939–42M1886–1960The West Australian1931>?MThe West Australian2002-4M1914–The Sydney Morning Herald1973–81F1914–The Bulletin1972–73FThe News (S.A.)1971–77FSunday Mail (S.A.)1980F1947–2024The West Australianlate 80s–1990sM1927–2018Canberra Timesc.1964–65M1927–2018The Sydney Morning Herald1968–1973?M1897–1942Brisbane Daily Mail1919–21M1897–1942Herald (Melbourne)1936M1940–1989Various international, incl. The New York Times1990>F1919–1989The Australian1966M1901–1984The Advertiser1952–1974F1901–1984The Courier-Mail1952–1974?F1843–1918The Argus>1918M1843–1918The Australasian1889M1947–2002The Age1985–1990M1889-1971The Age1960-63M1878–1953Sydney Mail??M1878–1953The Lone Hand??M1911–1995The Advertiser1958–69F1931–2015The Australian1972–75FThe Age1997-1999F1862–1941Herald (Melbourne)1914–1922M1862–1941The Age1926–1941M1909–1967The Age1946–57M1904–1960Daily Telegraph1952–1959M?The Courier-Mailc.1940sMThe AgeF1943–The Sydney Morning Herald1990sF1943–The Age??F1938–Canberra Times1973–77M1938–National Times1973–77MThe West Australian2009-2023F1851–1919Australasian Critic1889–91M1949–2011The Advertiser1977–80M1949–2011Sunday Mail (S.A.)1974–77M1922–1998The News (S.A.)1958–62M1944The Age1977–1980F195-Canberra Times1991–1995F1922–2024Australian Jewish Times1970sF1939–2019The Age1970sF1939–2019National Times1970sF1922–2017The Argus1940sM1906–1993The News (S.A.)1944–1955M1906–1993Sunday Mail (S.A.)1964–74M1906–1993The Advertiser1974–76M1933–2024The Age1990sFGuardian AustraliaCurrentMThe Advertiser1931-52M1945–The Age1970sF1969–The Australian1998–2002M1888–1959Sunday Mail (S.A.)1946–c.1966M1915–2008Sun-Herald1962–74M1915–2008Sydney Sun1949–74M1938–Sunday Times (WA)1972–73M1950–Canberra Times1977–2023M1914–1982The Sydney Morning Herald1941–1957M1874–1967West Australian1946-64M1932–2020The Bulletin1960–65M1938–2023Sydney Observer1960M1938–2023The Australian1971M1878–1948The Argus1912–1943M1878–1948The Australian??MThe Age1990sM1912–1992Geelong Advertiser1966–74MThe Age1970s–1980sMThe National Times1980sM1929–2006The Australian1969–70M1891–1945The Sun News-Pictorialc1936>M1891–1945The Argusc1936>M1891–1945The Australasian1927–1934...M1891–1945The Australasianc.1932M1946–The Melbourne Times1977–78F1946–The Australian1978–81F1946–The Age1982–86F1938–2012The Age1963–c.1970M1938–2012Sydney Observer1958–59M1938–2012Nation Review1959–1963M1938–2012Sunday Mirror1963M1960–Geelong Advertiserc.1980sFThe Bulletin1999–2007MThe Sydney Morning Herald>1997M1929–The Bulletin1961...M1936–The News (S.A.)1967–70M1908–1984The Courier-Mail1953–1984F?Nation Review1966–67M?Daily Telegraph1967–78M1889–1969The Bulletin1921–23M1889–1959Table Talk1929–1933...M1952Goldcoast City Bulletin1978M1903–1960Daily Telegraph1940>M1874–1961The Bulletin1890s–1900sM1874–1961The Lone Hand1907–21M1874–1961Herald (Melbourne)1935M1879–1969The Lone HandOccasional c.1907–21M?–1907The Agelate 1800sF1903–1971The Argus1947–48M1917–1997Nation Review1969M1917–1997Sunday Mirror1963M1917–1997The AustralianM1917–1997The Bulletin1966–1973M1878–1952Herald (Melbourne)1923...M1878–1952The Age1943–47M1872–1952Herald (Melbourne)Late 1930sM1901–1989Radio and Listener InMid-1920sF1943The Sun News-Pictorial1972–87M1943Herald Sun1997-2009M1950–The Sydney Morning Herald1982–1987M1956–Herald Sun1994-1997F1853–1940The Advertiser1889–1904M1942–The Age1966–69 1971–74M1907–1992The Argus1944–1947M1907–1992Herald (Melbourne)1951–1981M1949–The Age1980sF1949–The Sun News-Pictorial1980sF1949–The Australian1994–2004F1949–The Bulletin1980sF1961The Sydney Morning Herald1987–2017 ?M1942-2023The Sydney Morning Herald1970s-1990sM1936The Australian1972F1936The BulletinoccasionalF1914–1976London Observer1948–50M1945–2003The Australian1977–78M1945–2003The Age1980sM1913–2002Examiner1960s?M1913–2002The Bulletinpre-WW2M1913–2002Smiths Weeklypre-WW2M1878–1953The Courier-Mail1940s–1950sM1874–1943Daily TelegraphoccasionalM1874–1943The News (South Australia)occasionalM1874–1943The Mail (South Australia)occasionalMThe News (South Australia)1971–72 1974M1949–The Bulletin1988>FWest Australian1960sF1927The Australian1965–70M1927Herald (Melbourne)1965 1981–93M1868–1937The Courier-Mailc.1919>M1868–1937Daily Telegraphc.1919>M1868–1937Herald (Melbourne)1904>M1933–2016The Australian1973–1977M1957–The Age1984–1990sM1951–The Age1990–1993M1896–1969Herald (Melbourne)occasionalM1905–1985The Sunday Mirror1961–62M?The Age1978–1981M1906–1985Sunday Times (WA)1961–65M1909–1981Daily Telegraph1974–1979M1940The Age1965-1970F1940The Australian1965-1970F1875–1963Art in Australia1924–1940F1910–1998The Australian1960sF1937–2017The Age1980 – July 1982M1937–2017The Australian1982–99M1944Newcastle Morning Herald1971–M1928–2019The News (S.A.)1963–1966M1927–1993The Australian1973–75M1936-2006Sunday Mail (S.A.)1977–80M1897–1963The Argus1949–1957M1897–1963The Age1957–1963M1886–1959The Bulletin1930–31 / 1956–59M1886–1959The Lone HandM1921–Daily Telegraph1952–54M1972–The Australianc.2004–2008M1916–2011The Age1963–1966M1928Sunday Mail (S.A.)1963M1820–1910The Age1854–56M1820–1910The Argus1856–63 1868–96M1872–1922The Bulletin1909–10M1872–1922The Lone Hand1912–18M1867–1943The Argus1867–1943M1899–1987The Sydney Morning Herald1950s–?F1931Sunday Telegraph1962–66 1968–69M1931The Sydney Morning Herald1970–75M1931The Bulletin1976–77M1915–1974Herald (Melbourne)1949–50M1915–1974The Australian1968–73M1856–1938Daily Telegraphc.1883–86M1915–1991The Sydney Morning Herald1957–67M1882–1976Australian Women's Weekly1923–35F1948The Age1991>M1948The Australian1990sM1906–1975Herald (Melbourne)1943–48M1878–1967West Australianc.1929...c.1952?M1913–1968Daily News (Sydney)1937–c.1951?M1946–The Australian2006–2016F1946–The Advertiser1999–2006FThe Australian1976–2002M1919–1991The Sun News-Pictorial1951–72MThe Courier-Mail1940s–1950sF1963The Age1990s–2010sF1936–2017The Advertiser (Adelaide)1980sM1906–1981Brisbane Telegraph1949–50M1879–1935The AgebrieflyMThe West Australian2012–2017FNation Reviewc.1977F1908–1970??MThe Advertiser1952–74F1862–1935Herald (Melbourne)1929–34M

References

Further reading

External links "Michael Snape – 'Art Criticism: The Silenced Witness' ", 20 May 2023, australiangalleries.com.au