YouTube has become one of the most engaging places to learn about contemporary art. What was once considered mainly a space for entertainment has, over the past decade, also grown into a valuable educational resource for art enthusiasts. Today, the platform is filled with high-quality videos that give viewers access to studio visits, insightful interviews, and behind-the-scenes looks at the global art world. Over the past five to ten years, institutions, museums, and galleries have increasingly turned to YouTube as a means to reach broader audiences. While their channels might not yet compete with mainstream YouTubers in terms of views, they offer a treasure trove of in-depth and well-produced content. As a result, in this article, we’ll be highlighting 10+ must-subscribe YouTube channels for contemporary art lovers.
CAI YouTube Channel
Before diving into our favorite contemporary art YouTube channels, we’d love to invite you to explore the CAI YouTube channel, where we share weekly insights into contemporary art along with professional advice for artists.
1. The Baer Faxt
Since 1994, Josh Baer’s The Baer Faxt has been a trusted source of insider knowledge in the art world in the form of a newsletter—previously a fax—to share the latest inside information. On YouTube, it brings this same authority into video form, offering sharp interviews with collectors, mega-gallery dealers, curators, and other experts. If you’re curious about what happens behind the polished surfaces of the art market and the upper echelons of the market, this channel delivers candid insights directly from those shaping it.
2. Art21
Art21 is one of the most respected names in contemporary art storytelling. As a nonprofit organization, its mission is to inspire creativity by letting artists speak for themselves. Their videos take you straight into the studios of leading contemporary artists, where you hear firsthand about their processes, ideas, and challenges. Few platforms bring you as close to the artists of our time as this one.
3. Louisiana Channel
Produced by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, Louisiana Channel is a unique cultural archive. Since 2012, it has published new videos every week, featuring in-depth conversations with artists, writers, and thinkers. More than an extension of the museum, the channel has become a cultural platform in its own right—bridging heritage, contemporary thought, and the future of art.
4. MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art’s YouTube channel brings the energy of New York’s most famous institution to your living room. From artist interviews and studio visits to conservation insights and even tutorials, it offers an expert, yet accessible, take on modern and contemporary art, making the biggest art institution globally, the second-most subscribed channel on this list.
5. ArtDrunk
Founded by collector Gary Yeh, ArtDrunk aims to make the art world more accessible—and it succeeds. The channel takes viewers behind the scenes of fairs, exhibitions, and artist studios, all with a fresh and approachable, often slightly off-beat, tone. Beauty, culture, and insider access —ArtDrunk makes contemporary art feel both inspiring and high-end, yet also very welcoming.
6. Mary Lynn Buchanan
Mary Lynn Buchanan documents her journey as an art world insider, taking viewers along to galleries, biennials, and fairs across the globe. Her videos mix professional insight with a personal touch, making them both informative and relatable. For anyone curious about how the art world looks through the eyes of someone living it day to day, her channel is a great companion.
7. Art Basel
Known worldwide for its prestigious art fairs, Art Basel‘s YouTube channel generously shares the panel discussions presented during the Art Basel fairs, as well as more intimate conversations with artists in their studios and renowned collectors in their homes. It’s a rare opportunity to see the art world’s leading voices in dialogue, captured with the high production values you’d expect from Art Basel.
8. The Art Assignment
Created by curator Sarah Urist Green, The Art Assignment is an educational channel that makes art history and contemporary art engaging for a wide audience—arguably making it the ideal channel for someone who is brand-new to contemporary art. Combining assignments, explorations of movements, and thoughtful reflections on big questions, the channel demystifies art while keeping it fun, light-footed, and approachable.
9. Artforum
As one of the most influential art magazines since the 1960s, Artforum has built a strong digital presence to complement its print legacy—especially now that the media landscape has shifted even more from print to the digital, from text to image and video. Its YouTube channel may not yet rival its magazine in reach, but the quality of its video interviews with artists is simply outstanding. For thoughtful, well-produced insights from leading figures, Artforum is a certainty—also on YouTube.
10. Art Galleries
Finally, many of the world’s top galleries are now active on YouTube. White Cube, David Zwirner, and König Galerie, among others, regularly publish beautifully produced videos about their artists and exhibitions. These channels offer direct access to the programs shaping contemporary art today, allowing viewers to experience what’s happening in a way that feels far more engaging and immediate than, say, reading another press release in your inbox. They also stand as clear evidence of how fully the art world has embraced YouTube as a platform for dialogue and community engagement.
Discover White Cube on YouTube
Discover David Zwirner on YouTube
Discover KÖNIG Galerie
Cover image: Installation view of “Raymond Saunders: Déménagement“ (2025) at David Zwirner in Paris, FR.
Last Updated on September 25, 2025
- Published on
About the author:
Sylvia Walker (b. 1986, US) is an art historian, essayist, art critic, and curator. After contributing to numerous publications, and curating exhibitions in the United States of America and beyond, she currently works as the assistant director of Contemporary Art Issue (CAI).
