Jonathan D. Katz

Jonathan D. Katz is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the History of Art and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies departments. He is a pioneering figure in queer art history, known for foundational scholarship on queer artists and curating groundbreaking exhibitions like Hide/Seek and About Face. His work spans 19th-century to contemporary art, emphasizing queer theory, gender studies, and visual studies. His research includes key theoretical contributions, such as analyzing queer representation in works by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol.

Research Interests: Katz focuses on queer art history, exploring how queer identities intersect with artistic expression across eras. He examines themes of desire, censorship, protest art, and the global impact of queer visual culture. His current projects include The First Homosexuals, analyzing art from the coining of the term 'homosexual'.

Awards: His 2010 Hide/Seek exhibition won the 2011 AICA award for best US museum show, and its catalog was honored by the American Library Association. His recent About Face exhibition was widely praised for its inclusive representation of non-white and non-male artists.

Grants & Leadership: He founded the Larry Kramer Initiative at Yale University, the first queer studies program in the Ivy League, and established the first doctoral program in queer visual studies at the University at Buffalo. He also led major queer activist organizations like Queer Nation San Francisco and the Harvey Milk Institute.

Labs/Teams: His work often involves curatorial collaborations and academic initiatives promoting queer visibility in art history. He currently edits The Routledge Companion to Queer Art History and directs international exhibitions exploring global queer art narratives.