Scholarly biography and interests

Through his work at the Courtauld Institute and his publications, Julian has established an international reputation as an incisive and radical critic of contemporary art. His High Art Life: British Art In The 1990s (1999) is a seminal text in the exploration of the cultural and historical location and representation of ‘Brit Art’. It is a constantly cited and republished work. His Internet Art, The Online Clash Of Culture And Commerce published by the Tate (2003) has been extremely influential in opening up a new area of cultural production to critical analysis, whilst his Art Incorporated (2004) has recast received understandings of the functioning of art markets in the developing context of globalisation. Earlier works such as Gargantua: Manufactured Mass Culture remain required reading for all operating in the field of contemporary cultural analysis.

Julian has published widely in such well-regarded journals as Art Monthly, Art History, and New Left Review as well as in more widely circulated publications as the Guardian and the New Statesman.  His stature within the profession is clear from his roles on the editorial boards of New Left Review, Third Text and Art History. As a leading critical commentator he has made scholarly interventions to a range of exhibitions within the United Kingdom and abroad, including distinguished exhibition catalogue essays. He has contributed to conferences and debates on globalization was guest curator for the Brighton Photo Biennial 2008, Memory of Fire: Images of War and the War of Images was hosted and supported by the University which received national and international acclaim. His work continues to inform the practice and critical construction of contemporary photography.
    
His association is of particular importance to the college’s Arts Practice and Performance Research Institute (APPRI) and plans for an international research centre for Photography.