David J. Getsy

David J. Getsy is the Eleanor Shea Professor of Art History at the University of Virginia, Department of Art, within the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He also holds affiliated faculty positions in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality and the Department of American Studies.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Art History, Northwestern University (2002)
• M.A. in Art History, Northwestern University (1996)
• B.A. with Highest Honors, Oberlin College (1995)

Getsy's research revolutionizes art history through queer and transgender methodologies, focusing on suppressed histories of genderqueer performance and sculpture from the 1970s–2020s. His work excavates marginalized narratives in modern and contemporary art, particularly examining how non-normative genders reshape artistic canons. Key contributions include pioneering transgender studies in art history with 'Abstract Bodies' (2015) and award-winning analyses of Scott Burton's performance art.

His recent publications reveal consistent thematic threads: the material politics of sculpture, queer visibility paradoxes, and urban street performance as resistance. Works like 'How to Teach Manet’s Olympia after Transgender Studies' (2022) demonstrate how transgender perspectives transform foundational art historical frameworks, while his Stephen Varble exhibitions recover radical 1970s genderqueer performance through archival rigor.

Major accolades include:

• Guggenheim Fellowship (2025)
• Robert Motherwell Book Award (2023)
• University of Virginia Award for Excellence in Arts and Humanities (2023)
• College Art Association Award for Distinction (2021)
• Terra Foundation Visiting Professorship, Freie Universität Berlin (2020–2021)
• Dedalus Foundation Senior Fellowship (2019)

Getsy mentors PhD students in modern/contemporary art, queer theory, and performance studies while directing major research initiatives. His Guggenheim-supported project 'Street Addresses' documents 1970s New York queer street life through oral histories. He serves on the Fire Island Artist Residency board and MoMA's Scott Burton Estate Committee, actively shaping LGBTQ+ artistic legacies. Current editorial roles include 'American Art' journal and Paul Mellon Centre publications, advancing inclusive art historical scholarship globally.