James Boaden

Dr James Boaden is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art at the University of York, specializing in Modern and Contemporary Art with a focus on American art from the mid-20th century. His research examines intersections between experimental film/video and traditional art forms, particularly exploring queer sexuality and surrealist legacies. He holds a PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art (2008), where his thesis analyzed filmmaker Stan Brakhage’s collaborations with artists like Joseph Cornell and Carolee Schneemann.

His current projects include revising his PhD into a book on Brakhage’s collaborations and a new study on life narratives in 1970s American art/film. He supervises PhD students researching topics like posthuman agency, AIDS imagery in art, and the Bowery School. Boaden has organized film screenings at institutions including Tate Modern and Nottingham Contemporary, and has published in journals like Art History and Oxford Art Journal.

His research interests span experimental film, queer theory, surrealist legacies, and California art. He has contributed to major exhibitions such as Andy Warhol: My Perfect Body and Maria Lassnig. Teaching modules include 'Art in the USA 1945–1970' and 'American Artists’ Film and Video.'

• Organized conferences like Art outside the Canon (2013) and Sexuality and the Surrealist Sensorium (2010)
• External examiner for Nottingham University’s MA History of Art (2013–2015)
• Contributed over 25 publications including articles on Robert Rauschenberg, Bruce Conner, and surrealist networks

His work bridges art history and film studies, emphasizing queer methodologies and material culture analysis. Ongoing projects explore post-war American art’s relationship with film and the persistence of surrealist practices beyond the movement’s official end.