A. D. Coleman

A. D. Coleman
Name	A. D. Coleman
Birth date	1936
Birth place	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Photographer, critic, writer, curator, educator
Years active	1960s–2020s

A. D. Coleman was an American photography critic, historian, curator, and educator whose writings and editorial work shaped postwar discourse on photographic practice and visual culture. Best known for pioneering criticism in publications and on early internet forums, he engaged with figures across photographic, literary, and artistic communities, influencing debates that involved institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, International Center of Photography, and journals like Aperture and Artforum. Coleman’s work intersected with photographers, critics, and cultural institutions from the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Early life and education

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Coleman studied at institutions that connected him to broader artistic networks, engaging with local museums such as the Cleveland Museum of Art and regional universities. He developed early ties to photographers and critics associated with centers like Rochester Institute of Technology and the George Eastman Museum, linking him to practitioners who had connections with figures such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. His formative years coincided with postwar exhibitions at venues like the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exposing him to the work of photographers exhibited alongside painters discussed by critics at The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Career and major works

Coleman began publishing criticism during the expansion of arts journalism that included outlets like ARTnews, The New York Review of Books, and The Village Voice, contributing essays and reviews that examined the work of photographers including Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, and Lee Friedlander. He authored books and edited anthologies that addressed photographic history and theory, engaging with scholarship from historians at institutions such as Yale University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Coleman’s major works entered conversations alongside monographs on André Kertész, Man Ray, and Dorothea Lange, and his editorial projects placed him in dialogue with curators from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and critics writing for Art in America.

Critical approach and influence

Coleman’s criticism employed tools and references used by contemporaries such as Susan Sontag, John Szarkowski, and Roland Barthes, situating photography within aesthetic, ethical, and institutional contexts that intersected with debates at Columbia University, New York University, and Princeton University. His theoretical stance addressed issues raised by philosophers and theorists associated with Michel Foucault, Walter Benjamin, and Jacques Derrida, while his discursive practice responded to curatorial decisions at venues like the Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Art. Coleman influenced younger critics and historians connected to programs at Goldsmiths, University of London, Royal College of Art, and the School of Visual Arts.

Photography criticism and publishing

As a founding voice in independent arts publishing, Coleman contributed to and edited publications that paralleled work in Aperture, Black Star, and university presses such as University of Minnesota Press and MIT Press. He wrote extended reviews and columns examining portfolios by photographers represented by agencies like Magnum Photos and galleries such as Gagosian Gallery, addressing exhibitions held at institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Coleman was active in digital discourse through early online platforms that brought together communities similar to those around Getty Images, Flickr, and academic listservs associated with JSTOR and university libraries.

Teaching, lectures, and curatorial work

Coleman lectured and taught in programs linked to institutions such as The New School, Cooper Union, and the Pratt Institute, collaborating with faculty connected to departments at Columbia University School of the Arts and visiting campuses across North America and Europe. His curatorial activities involved projects and exhibitions coordinated with museums and cultural centers including the International Center of Photography, the Photographers' Gallery (London), and regional art museums that maintained partnerships with foundations like the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Getty Foundation. He participated in symposiums and conferences alongside scholars from The Courtauld Institute of Art, Smithsonian Institution, and the Getty Research Institute.

Awards and honors

Throughout his career Coleman received recognition from organizations and foundations that support arts writing and scholarship, sharing company with recipients of honors from the MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PEN awards. His work was acknowledged in contexts alongside fellow awardees affiliated with universities and museums such as Yale University Art Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and international bodies including the Royal Photographic Society.

Category:American critics Category:American curators Category:Photography critics