Founded and edited as The Green Book by Keith Spencer as a quarterly publication, it re-emerged under the title Contemporary Art in 1993.
During this period the magazine achieved sales of nearly 20,000, including 5,000 subscribers, with distribution mainly in the UK, Europe, the States and Australia.
Its base at this time was the former Peek Freans biscuit factory in Bermondsey, London, the site of several key early exhibitions of the YBA generation.
With the collapse of the G+B parent company in 2001, the title was acquired by Art:21 and reappeared as Contemporary in January 2002 although no longer with an exclusive commitment to the visual arts.
In 2008 the magazine relocated to Panama City, where it ceased publication after failing in an attempt to start a Spanish-language edition.