John O'Brian is an internationally respected historian of art, visual culture and art criticism with particular reference to North America in the Twentieth-century. A leader in innovative analysis of the relation between artistic practice, theory and public culture, Dr. O'Brian has demonstrated in his many publications the intrinsic importance of Canadian art and contribution to wider discourses. ------------------ O'BRIAN, John –Department of Art History, University of British Columbia John O'Brian is an internationally respected historian of art, visual culture and art criticism with particular reference to North America in the Twentieth-century. A leader in innovative analysis of the relation between artistic practice, theory and public culture, Dr. O'Brian has demonstrated in his many publications the intrinsic importance of Canadian art and contribution to wider discourses. He has also curated a series of highly regarded exhibitions on the institutionalization of Modern art, the politics of landscape painting and the uses of photography in the Cold War. His prize-winning books include studies of Henri Matisse and Clement Greenberg's criticism.