Aaron Betsky

Aaron Betsky (born 1958) is an architect, critic, curator, educator, lecturer, and writer on architecture and design, who since August 2006 has been the director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. From 2001 to 2006 Betsky served as director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Although Betsky was born in Missoula, Montana, USA, he grew up in The Netherlands. He graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History, the Arts and Letters (1979) and a M.Arch. (1983). He then taught at the University of Cincinnati from 1983 to 1985 and worked as a designer for Frank Gehry and Hodgetts & Fung. From 1995-2001 Betsky was Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art before moving back to The Netherlands.

Betsky has written numerous monographs on the work of late 20th century architects, including I.M. Pei, UN Studio, Koning Eisenberg, Zaha Hadid and MVRDV, as well as treatises on aesthetics, psychology and human sexuality as they pertain to aspects of architecture, and is one of the main contributors to a spatial interpretation of Queer theory.

Venice BiennaleBetsky was named as the director of the 11th Exhibition of the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Publications

* A. Betsky, A. Euwens (2004) False Flat: Why Dutch design is so good, Phaidon Press Inc.
* W. Maas, A. Betsky, S. Kwinter, B. Lootsma, A. Ruby (2003) Reading MVRDV, Nai Publishers
* A. Betsky, K. M. Hays, G. M. Anderson (2003) Scanning: The Aberrant Architectures of Diller + Scofidio, Whitney Museum of American Art
* A. Betsky (2002) Landscrapers: building with the land, Thames and Hudson
* B. van Berkel, A. Betsky, C. Bos, M. Wigley (2002) UN Studio: UNFOLD, Nai Publishers
* A. Betsky, E. Adigard (2000) Architecture Must Burn: a manifesto for an architecture beyond building, Thames and Hudson
* R. Moore, J. Herzog, A. Betsky, P. Davies (1999) Vertigo: The Strange New World of the Contemporary City, Gingko Press
* A. Betsky, O. R. Ojeda (1999) Miller Hull Partnership, Rockport Publishers
* T. González de León, A. Betsky, A. Leon (1998) Kalach & Alvarez, Rockport Publishers
* A. Betsky, A. Suzuki, D. Jackson, P. Zellner (1998) Pacific Edge: Contemporary Architecture on the Pacific Rim, Rizzoli
* T. Riley, A. Betsky, X. Costa, M. Robbins (1998) Fabrications, Actar
* A. Betsky (1998) Zaha Hadid: Das Gesamtwerk, DVA
* Z. M. Hadid, A. Betsky (1998) Zaha Hadid: The Complete Buildings and Projects, Rizzoli
* A. Betsky (1997) Queer space : architecture and same-sex desire, William Morrow
* A. Jarmusch, A. Betsky, R. W. Quigley, M. S. Larson, M. Benedikt, M. Les Benedict (1996) Rob Wellington Quigley: Buildings and Projects, Rizzoli
* A. Betsky (1995) Building sex : men, women, architecture, and the construction of sexuality, William Morrow
* A. Betsky (1992) Architecture & medicine : I.M. Pei designs the Kirklin Clinic, University Press of America
* A. Betsky, J. Chase, L. Whiteson (1991) Experimental Architecture in Los Angeles, Rizzoli
* A. Betsky (1990) Violated perfection : architecture and the fragmentation of the modern, Rizzoli

References

* [http://eng.archinform.net/arch/10238.htm Archinform citation]
* [http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=8842_0_23_24_M Archinet]
* [http://www.archpaper.com/news/2006_0905.htm The Architects Newspaper]