John Potvin

John Potvin is Professor of Art History at Concordia University and a member of the Centre for Sensory Studies. His research examines the intersections of design history, visual and material cultures of masculinity, and modernism in art, design and fashion.

Potvin's work investigates how competing masculinities and dissident sexualities are represented through modern design and visual culture since the late 19th century. His research spans Orientalism in design, fashion studies, psychoanalytic approaches, and phenomenological experiences of interior spaces.

His publications analyze the relationship between shame, decoration, and masculine identity formation in modern interior design. He has also curated exhibitions and published extensively on queer interventions in domestic spaces.