Background
Tom McDonough is an art historian, critic and professor known for his work on contemporary art and theory, particularly in relation to the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. His research often focuses on the intersection of art, politics, and social movements, especially in postwar Europe. McDonough has written extensively on the Situationist International, a group of avant-garde artists, intellectuals and political theorists active in Europe in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Select Publications
- (ed.) Boredom. London: Whitechapel Gallery and Cambridge, Mass. and London: The MIT Press, Coll. “Documents of Contemporary Art,” 2017.
- (ed.) The Situationists and the City: A Reader. London and New York: Verso, 2009
- “The Beautiful Language of My Century”: Reinventing the Language of Contestation in Postwar France, 1945-1968. Cambridge, Mass. and London: The MIT Press, Coll. “OCTOBER Books,” 2007, 2011.
- (ed. with Aruna D’Souza) The Invisible Flâneuse? Gender, Public Space and Visual Culture in Ninetenth-Century Paris. Manchester: Manchester University Press, Coll. “Critical Perspectives in Art History,” 2006, 2010.
- (ed.) Guy Debord and the Situationist International: Texts and Documents. Cambridge, Mass. and London: The MIT Press, Coll. “OCTOBER Books,” 2002, 2004.
Education
- PhD, MA, New York University's Institute of Fine Arts
Research Interests
- Contemporary photographic theories and practices
- Art, urban space and the political economy of cities
- Collectivism, collaboration and the politics of anonymity
- Post-war European avant-gardes and the Situationist International
Teaching Interests
- ARTH 254: Modern Art
- ARTH 362: European Avant-Gardes
- ARTH 389E: 19th-Century Paris
- ARTH 582A Godard: Film Texts and Contexts (with Professor Brian Wall)
- ARTH 582L: Theories of Photography
Awards
- SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, 2024
