George Baker (art historian)
Encyclopedia
George Baker is an American
art historian of modern and contemporary art. He is a professor of art history at the University of California, Los Angeles
and an editor of October journal. Reviewing a book that Baker wrote on Dada
, Merlin James wrote "What Baker really offers, perfectly reasonably, is high-end, post-modern theorising, with just a touch of unconventionality in honour of his subject’s way-outness."
and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
, also studying at the Whitney Independent Study program in New York. While at Columbia his advisors were Rosalind E. Krauss
and Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
. He is has edited an October Book on James Coleman, published in 2003, and has published "The Artwork Caught by the Tail: Francis Picabia and Dada in Paris" in 2007. He is also a critic of contemporary art, a contributor to Artforum
magazine, he has written essays on the work of artist Paul Chan amongst others. In 2008 he participated in the conference Canvases and Careers Today at the Städelschule
in Frankfurt am Main, that was subsequently published as a book, delivering a paper called "Late Criticism".
In 2009, Baker led an attempt to save the fine arts library on the UCLA campus, launching a facebook page and an online petition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
art historian of modern and contemporary art. He is a professor of art history at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and an editor of October journal. Reviewing a book that Baker wrote on Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
, Merlin James wrote "What Baker really offers, perfectly reasonably, is high-end, post-modern theorising, with just a touch of unconventionality in honour of his subject’s way-outness."
Biography
Baker studied art history at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, also studying at the Whitney Independent Study program in New York. While at Columbia his advisors were Rosalind E. Krauss
Rosalind E. Krauss
Rosalind Epstein Krauss is an American art critic and theorist; she is a professor at Columbia University in New York City. In 1985 a monograph of essays by Krauss, titled The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths was published by The MIT Press.-Early life :Rosalind Krauss grew...
and Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Modern Art at Harvard University. His 2000 book, Neo-Avantgarde and Culture Industry, is a collection of eighteen essays on major figures of postwar art written since the late 1970s...
. He is has edited an October Book on James Coleman, published in 2003, and has published "The Artwork Caught by the Tail: Francis Picabia and Dada in Paris" in 2007. He is also a critic of contemporary art, a contributor to Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
magazine, he has written essays on the work of artist Paul Chan amongst others. In 2008 he participated in the conference Canvases and Careers Today at the Städelschule
Städelschule
Städelschule, Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, is a contemporary fine arts academy in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.- History :The Städelschule was established by a foundation set up by the Frankfurt merchant Johann Friedrich Städel in 1817...
in Frankfurt am Main, that was subsequently published as a book, delivering a paper called "Late Criticism".
In 2009, Baker led an attempt to save the fine arts library on the UCLA campus, launching a facebook page and an online petition.