Criteria and Categories of Visual Art in Finnish Art Magazines, 1960–2020

Abstract

In this article, I map out how the quality of visual art was evaluated in Finnish art magazines between 1960 and 2020. Using magazine material and category analysis, I examine how boundaries were drawn between art and non-art, as well as between good and bad art. I ask how the line was drawn in relation to other art forms and cultural practices. What was included within the realm of visual art, and what was excluded? What kinds of distinctions, categories, and hierarchies were constructed? And how were these boundaries justified?