David Levi Strauss
David Levi Strauss (born March 10, 1953, in Junction City, Kansas) is an American poet, essayist, art and cultural critic, and educator. He is the author of a book of poetry, four books of essays, and numerous monographs and catalogues on artists. He was Chair of the graduate program in Art Writing (formerly Art Criticism & Writing) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 2007 until that program closed in 2021. He also taught at the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College from 2001 to 2005, and since 2002 he has continued to teach in the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard.
David Levi Strauss | |
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Levi Strauss in Speaking Portraits | |
| Born | March 10, 1953 Junction City, Kansas |
| Other names | Levi Strauss |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, Professor, Critic |
| Spouse | Sterret Smith |
| Children | Maya Levi Strauss |
| Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (2003-2004) Infinity Award for Writing from the International Center of Photography |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Kansas State University, Goddard College (B.A.), radical pedagogy under Paulo Freire |
| Alma mater | Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. |
| Influences | John Berger, Robert Duncan |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Art Criticism, Writing, Art and Literary Studies |
| Institutions | Chair of the graduate program in Art Criticism & Writing at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. |
| Notable students | Emmanuel Iduma |
| Main interests | Photography and Politics, Philosophy of Art, Criticism |
| Notable works | Between The Eyes: Essays on Photography and Politics, Photography and Belief (2020), Co-Illusion (2020) |
Strauss’ principal subject in his books of essays has been the relation between aesthetics and politics. He has been called “the undisputed champion of literary art writing,” and writer Lucy Sante called him “photography’s troubled conscience.”
Strauss’ critiques and theories about the role and influence of art and photography on society are frequently cited in the works of other contemporary writers and critics.