Molly Nesbit

Molly Nesbit is an American art historian, critic, and curator, known for her work with the October journal and her involvement in the College Art Association. She has written extensively on modern and contemporary art, often incorporating the work of artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, and Frida Kahlo into her critiques. Her writing has been influenced by the likes of Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, and Roland Barthes, and she has been associated with institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Nesbit's work has also been shaped by her interactions with fellow art historians and critics, including Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, and Yve-Alain Bois.

● Early Life and Education

Molly Nesbit was born in the United States and pursued her higher education at Vassar College and Columbia University, where she studied art history and developed an interest in the works of Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Meret Oppenheim. Her academic background has been influenced by the teachings of Meyer Schapiro and Lionello Venturi, and she has been associated with the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Nesbit's early life and education have been marked by her exposure to the New York City art scene, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. She has also been influenced by the work of artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, and Jackson Pollock, and has written about the Bauhaus movement and its key figures, including Wassily Kandinsky and László Moholy-Nagy.

● Career

Molly Nesbit's career as an art historian and critic has been marked by her involvement with various institutions and publications, including the October journal, which she co-edits with Hal Foster and Yve-Alain Bois. She has also been associated with the College Art Association and has served on the boards of organizations such as the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Nesbit's work has been influenced by her interactions with artists such as John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger, and Richard Prince, and she has written about the Pop Art movement and its key figures, including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. She has also been involved in the organization of exhibitions at institutions such as the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

● Art Criticism and Writing

Molly Nesbit's writing has been published in various journals and magazines, including Artforum, Art in America, and Parkett. She has written extensively on modern and contemporary art, often incorporating the work of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, and Julian Schnabel into her critiques. Nesbit's writing has been influenced by the likes of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Jean Baudrillard, and she has been associated with the development of postmodern and poststructuralist theories in art history. She has also written about the Surrealist movement and its key figures, including André Breton and Max Ernst, and has been involved in the organization of exhibitions at institutions such as the Musée d'Orsay and the Kunstmuseum Basel.

● Notable Works

Molly Nesbit's notable works include her book Atget's Seven Albums (1992), which explores the work of Eugène Atget, and her essay The Pragmatism in the History of Art (2004), which discusses the role of pragmatism in art historical discourse. She has also written about the work of artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Cy Twombly, and has been involved in the organization of exhibitions at institutions such as the National Gallery of Art and the Walker Art Center. Nesbit's work has been recognized with awards such as the College Art Association's Distinguished Teaching of Art History Award and the National Endowment for the Arts' Fellowship in Criticism. She has also been associated with institutions such as the Getty Research Institute and the Clark Art Institute, and has written about the Dada movement and its key figures, including Hugo Ball and Tristan Tzara.