All articles
Everything on Art Radar Journal, organised by topic.
Art Explained
- Art Gallery vs Museum: What Changes for Visitors — An art museum is generally a permanent nonprofit institution that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits for public benefit.
- Conceptual Art Explained: Start With the Idea — Conceptual art places an idea, question, instruction or system at the center of the work.
- Contemporary vs Modern Art: The Difference, Explained — Modern art and contemporary art are different periods, not synonyms.
- How to Look at Abstract Art Without Guessing — To understand abstract art, begin with what the work actually gives you: color, line, shape, space, surface, scale, rhythm and material.
- Mixed Media Art Explained: Read the Materials — Mixed media art combines more than one material or process in a single work.
- Performance Art Explained: Action, Audience, Record — Performance art is art organized as an event: actions, movements, gestures, speech, stillness, sound or other activity unfold through time.
- What Is Digital Art? File, Process, and Display — Digital art uses digital technology as a meaningful part of making or presenting an artwork.
- What Is Installation Art? A Plain-Language Guide — Installation art is artwork arranged to transform or fully engage a space.
- What Is Kinetic Art? Movement, Mechanism, and Time — Kinetic art is art in which actual movement is integral to the work.
- What Is Public Art? Site, Audience, and Stewardship — Public art is art intended for encounter in a shared public setting.
- What Is Sound Art? Listen to Space, Time, and Source — Sound art is art in which sound, listening, or the conditions of hearing are central to the work.
- What Is Video Art? Screen, Time, and Installation — Video art is artwork that uses moving electronic images as a central medium.
Collecting Guides
- How Do Art Auctions Work? A Step-by-Step Buyer's Guide — Art auctions follow a set cycle: sellers consign works to an auction house, which catalogues each one as a numbered lot with a presale estimate, exhibits…
- How to Buy Art at an Art Fair: A First Visit Guide — To buy art at an art fair, research exhibitors, set an all-in budget, and visit with a short list plus time to explore.
- How to Commission Art: A Clear Brief and Agreement — Choose an artist whose established practice fits the project, then agree in writing on the subject, format, dimensions, materials, review stages, changes,…
- How to Start an Art Collection: A First-Time Buyer's Guide — To start an art collection, set a firm budget before you shop, spend a few weeks looking at art in museums, galleries, and fairs to train your eye, then…
- Primary vs Secondary Art Market: Follow the Sale — The primary art market covers a work's first sale, often by an artist, studio, or representing gallery.
- How to Research an Artist Before Buying Art — Research an artist before buying by confirming the artist's identity, checking biography and exhibition claims against institutional records, and…
Prints & Editions
- How to Store Art Prints Without Damaging Them — Store art prints flat in individual archival-quality folders or sleeves, inside a rigid box or print drawer, in a cool, clean, relatively dry, stable room.
- What Is a Limited Edition Print? Numbering and Value Basics — A limited edition print belongs to a declared finite run, often numbered as a fraction: 12/50 identifies impression 12 in a regular edition of 50.