The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the content of 6 kinds of 1st-year middle-school art textbooks(grade 7) in order to examine how the idea of 7th Korean National Art Curriculum was actually realized and embodied in the content itself, and to suggest a guidance in developing art textbooks for grade 8 and 9, which will be chronologically followed by grade 7 in 2002 and 2003. This study would provide some suggestions for researches on textbooks and the process of the textbook development. The comparison was applied to six different kinds of middle-school art textbooks developed by six publishing companies which presented and had a national approval from the government. The study included 1) comparison of the unit by its titles, 2) the comparison of structure and organization of the content by 3 categories(' aesthetic experience', 'expression' and 'art appreciation'), 3) the comparison of artworks including pictures presented in the textbooks by students' vs. artists' works, traditional Korean(architecture, painting, sculpture, design & craft, etc.) vs, foreign works (artists , nationality and a number of artists in each nations), and 4) the comparison of the characteristics in content organization and structure. Since the 7th Korean National Art Curriculum was notified in 1997, middle-school art textbooks for grade 7 from several publishing companies were developed. Among those, six of them were chosen after the national authorization by the government(mostly Ministry of Education & Human Resources Department and KICE(Korea Institute of Curriculum & Evaluation). Finally authorized and approved version for grade 7 was completed and out this March, 2001 to middle schools. Textbooks for middle- and high-school will have been used for 5 years after they are released during the 7th Korean National Curriculum is in effect. Unlike primary-school ones, middle-school textbooks in Korea are developed by private publishing companies with authors in contract, and there is no experimental-stage textbook developed in advance. The textbooks for grade 7 published this year are the first as authorized ones. The problems in the development of authorized textbooks might lie in authorization, especially authorization standards. In order to solve these and to improve the process of the textbook development, it would be suggested that the current standard for authorization should have its clear criterion for differentiating the content of each grade with level and content itself. In conclusion, to enhance the quality of the art textbooks for middle school, it would be encouraged that textbooks have their own characteristics in content structure and organization for each grades, and visual resource books be developed as a reference.