http://rhizome.org http://pietmondriaan.com http://dismagazine.com More on reddit.com

You've named them—get ArtForum if he's more interested in keeping up-to-date with exhibitions. Get October if he's more interested in art theory. BOMB is my personal favorite—they do a lot of interviews of artists by artists. Juxtapoz is great for a more playful, edgy aesthetic (for lack of better descriptors).

More on reddit.com

Hmm. There really isn’t an analogue to Wire magazine in visual art, as far as I’m aware. You might like Spike Art Magazine or Texte zur Kunst, both European publications. They are edgy and idea-driven, with polemical articles about art, politics, technology and the market. Individual issues are EXPENSIVE. However, these publications lack the in-depth interviews, album (art?) reviews or technical emphasis of Wire. Sometimes the text can feel a bit like e-flux writing, which isn’t a complimentary comparison! More on reddit.com

Art media definitely comes in difficulty levels from beginner to obscure even for art critics and historians (hello October). After Artsy, some examples of media you should look at are Artnews, Art in America, or ArtReview as well as the online-only Garage, Hyperallergic, and Artnet. The Art Newspaper is great if you want to learn about art as an industry. The New York Times' art coverage is also considered among the best in art media, and does a fantastic job of being approachable. Same with the New Yorker. They are serious and intelligent but avoid the assumption that the reader has a certain reading/experience level. Then there is another category which (while well-written) will often make references without explaining them or generally carry a more academic tone. There are a ton of art publications out there but a few examples of this are Artforum, Frieze, and the Brooklyn Rail. I wouldn't avoid them outright, but you'll not always be provided with context. More on reddit.com