Richard Meyer (academic)

Richard Meyer is an American art historian and academic, specializing in twentieth-century art, with a particular focus on the intersection of art and sexuality, queer theory, and American modernism. He is currently the Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor in Art History at Stanford University.

Meyer received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Stanford, he taught at Emory University.

He is the author of several influential books, including Outlaw Representation: Censorship and Homosexuality in Twentieth-Century American Art (1902), which examines the censorship and representation of homosexuality in American art from the early to mid-20th century, and What Was Contemporary Art? (2013), a study of the concept of "contemporaneity" in art and its relationship to historical context. His work is known for its rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary approach, drawing on art history, queer theory, and cultural studies.

Meyer has also contributed extensively to edited volumes, journals, and exhibition catalogues. He frequently lectures on modern and contemporary art at universities and museums. His research has been supported by fellowships and grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Getty Research Institute.

His scholarship has been pivotal in shaping the field of queer art history and continues to influence discussions about the relationship between art, identity, and politics.