Social History of Art

I am currently a doctoral student  (History and Theory of Art) at Arizona State University.

  I taught the history of art for 29 years at Kent State University, specializing in American painting, prints, photographs, and architecture. Since 1999 I have turned to painting (see my website (bensart.com). I am the author of three monographs, I edited two other books, and published numerous articles on topics drawn from my area of specialization, notably studies of the photographer Napoleon Sarony, the lithographer Robert Riggs, and, most recently, the definitive study of the American painter of the Civil War era, Conrad Wise Chapman. I divide the year between homes and studio in Kent, Ohio, and Taos, N.M.

Retired historian.I have  recently renewed an interest in the history of Art I had when I was a student many years ago. I am particularly interested in the social climate in which art is produced. Living in London  I amlucky enough to be able to attend classes at City Lit and the National Gallery

I am a visual artist and art teacher.