Milton Esterow

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Milton Esterow (born July 28, 1928) is an American art journalist.

Early work as a journalist[]

Growing up in Brooklyn, he attended Brooklyn College and started writing for the New York Times while still a student. Milton worked there for decades as a prolific writer, devoted mainly to the drama department and film reviews.[1] In the early 1960s, he discovered a niche in the area of cultural news, bringing an investigative style to a part of newspaper journalism that had previously been devoted to reviews of exhibits and biographical profiles of important personalities.[2] His 1966 book The Art Stealers: A History of Certain Fabulous Art Thefts was an important milestone in his professional development.[3] In a review, Stuart Fleming called it "absorbing" and "excellently researched".[4]

ARTNews[]

Milton and Judith Esterow owned America's oldest continually published art magazine ARTNews from 1972 to 2014. While the monthly was devoted to the American art scene in general, Milton Esterow invented a new style of investigative journalism in the art world and doubled the magazine's circulation. He is considered to be an innovator in this field, especially as regards art theft and the restitution of works taken illegally during World War II.

Milton Esterow worked as a writer, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the periodical for 42 years; his life's work was to make the periodical the world’s largest circulated arts magazine. He aimed to "humanize" the art world and offer writing that was accessible to a wider audience, especially in an era of American history that saw art becoming more accessible to a larger audience. Scholarly articles with footnotes, common in the magazine before 1972, ceased to appear, while Esterow gave more coverage to personalities and the developments of the art market.[1] He also published full-length art books "that tell the reader in language he or she can understand what the artist is all about and get away from the gobbledegook."[1]

Esterow hobnobbed with famous figures in the art world, including Henry Moore, Robert Rauschenberg, and Ansel Adams. Famous ARTnews covers have featured Jasper Johns and Pablo Picasso.[5]

The annual feature listing the "world's top 200 art collectors" was accepted by many in the art world as a prestigious ranking. Others criticized the magazine's method of polling in order to determine "Ten Best Living Artists".[6]

Awards[]

Book Collection[]

Esterow donated his collection of art books to Brooklyn College Library.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Esterow, Milton; Baxter, Paula A. (1984). "Viewpoint: What It Takes to Make a Successful Art Periodical: Talking to Milton Esterow, Publisher and Editor of "Artnews"". Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America. 3.3: 83–84. JSTOR 27947312.
  2. ^ Esterow, Milton (9 November 1963). "F.B.I. Intensifying Efforts to Apprehend Art Thieves; Hundreds of Works Worth in Millions Stolen Since 1960 Special Investigator Helps Track Down Missing Paintings,". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Freemon-Smith, Eliot (13 July 1966). "Books of The Times: Annals of (Art) Crime". The New York Times. p. 39.
  4. ^ Fleming, Stuart (27 November 1975). "Book review". The New Scientist. p. 535. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021.
  5. ^ Power, Scott (12 November 2019). "Legendary Art Journalist Milton Esterow: A Life Dedicated to ARTNews". Not Real Art. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "Milton Esterow. ARTnews at 100". Vera List Center. 2002. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Artlaw Brochure" (PDF). ART LITIGATION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION INSTITUTE. 10 October 2008.
  8. ^ "Arnheim, Esterow Receive Special Lifetime Achievement Awards". ARTnews. 102.4: 44. April 2003.
  9. ^ "Milton Esterow, editor of ARTnews, Donates His Collection of Art Books to Brooklyn College Library".
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