The Independent on Sunday is to rename its arts section in a move away from comprehensive music, film and book reviews.
Critics, including the music writer Simon Price and film reviewer Nicholas Barber, will no longer appear weekly in the trimmed-down paper after 1 September following the final issue of The Critics.
Lisa Markwell, editor of the Independent on Sunday, said the paper will still feature an arts section but that it will not be led by reviews.
Other writers – including visual arts critic Charles Darwent and theatre critic Kate Bassett – will leave the paper.
It is thought that seven roles, mostly freelance, are being axed and that the cuts are in addition to plans to make 27 roles redundant at the Independent.
The move is part of cost-cutting measures at Evgeny Lebedev's Independent Print newspaper group, which publishes the Independent and Independent on Sunday.
The Independent columnist and TV reviewer Tom Sutcliffe, who was the paper's first arts editor in 1986, will also leave the paper. Sutcliffe announced his departure in a tweet on Saturday: "So, after a long marriage it's been decided that the Independent and I should see start seeing other people again. Back in the game...."
Derek Malcolm, film critic at the Lebedev-owned London Evening Standard, is to write less frequently for the paper as it seeks to widen its coverage of the arts.
One insider was told of the plans to cut the arts section on Friday. "It's not a complete surprise in that one can barely have a conversation with a journalist these days without getting into a conversation about when newsprint will cease to exist. But it is certainly a sizeable bloodbath at the Independent on Sunday," this person said.
Alison Wright, an arts publicist in London, said the axed section would leave a "terrible gap" in intelligent arts criticism by national newspapers.
"I'm utterly baffled by the Independent on Sunday's decision to drop its critics. What a devastating blow for arts coverage – and the arts – in the UK," she said.
"Publicly funded arts organisations rely on intelligent arts criticism and critical appraisals of their exhibitions and events not only to attract audiences, but also for their funding applications and to attract sponsors and donors," said Wright. "For the visual arts, Charles Darwent has supplied highly knowledgeable art criticism as lead critic at the IoS for the past 13 years, often picking shows beyond the obvious blockbusters."
Laura Davison, an assistant organiser at the National Union of Journalists, urged Independent management to listen to staff. "It's disappointing that management at the Independent are failing to engage in proper consultation with their journalists," she said.
"These cuts are being pushed through, loyal contributors axed without warning and staff are not being given the opportunity to discuss alternatives and address their concerns over the impact on quality content."
Markwell said: "The Independent on Sunday is as committed to arts and books coverage as it has always been. The arts critics have been made redundant from their current reviewing contracts (as part of a wider process at the Independent titles) but there will continue to be significant arts coverage – in a dedicated arts and books section – in the Independent on Sunday and it is hoped that the excellent arts writers will continue to contribute. The books pages will continue as they are – with a wide variety of high quality features and reviews."
This article was amended on 30 July 2013 to add a quote from Lisa Markwell and to clarify that the paper will still have an arts section, but with a new name.
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