John G. Hanhardt is an American author, art historian, andcurator of film andmedia arts.[1] Hanhardt was the Consulting Senior Curator for Media Arts at theSmithsonian Museum of American Art, where he developed exhibitions, collections, and archives in film and the media arts.He is considered to be one of the leading scholars on video artistNam June Paik.[1]
Hanhardt grew up inRochester, New York.[2] He received his bachelor's degree from theUniversity of Rochester in 1967, and his master's degree and additional graduate work (ABD) in cinema studies fromNew York University in 1970.[1]
Hanhardt has written many books and in 2019 came out with a new book,We Are in Open Circuits- Writings by Nam June Paik
Hanhardt's expansive curatorial practice spans three decades. Hanhardt began his career in the department of Film and Video at theMuseum of Modern Art. He then went on to establish the first Film and Media Arts collection at theWalker Art Museum. Following his success at the Walker, Hanhardt was appointed Curator and Head of the Film and Video department at theWhitney Museum of American Art in 1974.[3] At the Whitney, Hanhardt was the director of the New American Film and Video Series which surveyed independent film and the emergence of video as an art form. He is also responsible for developing the museum'svideo art installation collection.[4] In 1996, Hanhardt was appointed Senior Curator of Film and Media Arts at theSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum where he developed “its international exhibition program, as well as its video installation art collection."[5] In 2006, he was appointed as the Consulting Senior Curator for Film and Media Arts and theNam June Paik Art Center at theSmithsonian American Art Museum.[6]
In addition to his museum experience, Hanhardt has published, lectured, and taught extensively on film and media art. He has held adjunct teaching positions atColumbia University,Harvard University, theSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago, theRhode Island School of Design,Middlebury College, andWilliams College.[7]
As a writer, critic, and editor, Hanhardt has been a contributor to numerous exhibition catalogues, journals, and other arts publications.[15]He has written and co-written several books onKorean American video artistNam June Paik, some of which includeThe Worlds of Nam June Paik (2003),Nam June Paik: Global Groove (2004), andNam June Paik: Global Visionary (2012). He is the editor of Video Culture: A Critical Investigation (1986).
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In 1993, Hanhardt was the recipient of thePeter Norton Family Foundation Curator's Grant for outstanding curatorial work.[7]
Hanhardt's comments on the prominence ofholographic art:
