Studio: a brief history

Studio was first published in April 1893 under the title The Studio: An Illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art. It rapidly established itself as one of the most successful fine art periodicals in the English-speaking world

Among others, it featured the work of the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley – who even designed an elegant cover – and the architects Charles Rennie Mackintosh and CFA Voysey. It was one of the first art magazines to adopt photomechanical reproduction, a process that would dominate art publishing for a century.

The Studio, Volume 1, Number 1, 1893, cover. Image © Studio International Foundation.

In the years after World War I, The Studio slowly espoused Impressionism, Futurism and Cubism, as it followed a middle-of-the-road path to maintain its high circulation. Then, early in World War II, its offices in London’s Leicester Square were bombed. Aficionados claimed that the Luftwaffe deliberately targeted Studio because of its cultural importance. While this claim was rather implausible, it is true that significant back stock and numerous old files and records were lost. These could have given historians today a clearer idea about the past circulation and distribution of the journal at home and overseas.

In the post-war years, the then Editor, GS Whittet, worked hard to regain subscribers. In 1964 the magazine was redesigned by David Pelham (well-known for his work for Penguin Books), and its title was changed to Studio International (incorporating The Studio) to reflect its increasing overseas influence. In 1968 Peter Townsend was appointed Editor, and Charles Harrison joined him as Assistant Editor. The publication won the vital overseas support of the British Council, and also of the Arts Council of Great Britain.

When Richard Cork, art historian and art critic for The London Evening Standard, took over from Townsend in 1975, he transformed Studio International into a much-respected and truly contemporary art journal. Michael Spens, an award-winning architect, had served on the Arts Council of Great Britain for Scotland from 1978 before becoming Editor in 1980.

In 2000 Studio International was one of the first art magazines to embrace the internet – the online journal now enjoys a worldwide readership with more than 200,000 readers a month and over 4.5 million page views a year. Once again, as it did in the 1890s, by harnessing contemporary technology before most of its rivals, Studio (International) continues its role as one of the world’s leading art journals.

studio international

Incorporating The Studio founded in 1893

Publisher: The Studio International Foundation, PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10021-0043, USA
Vice-President and Editor: Miguel Benavides
PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10021-0043, USA
email: editor@studiointernational.com

Creative Director and Filmmaker: Martin Kennedy
Suite 404, Gable House, 18-24 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London W4 1QP
email: studio@mwrk.co.uk

Published by the Studio International Foundation. No part of the contents of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Copyright the Studio International Foundation. The titles Studio International, The Studio, Studio and Studio Books are registered trademarks and, together with the content, are bound by copyright. All rights reserved.