David Galenson
Encyclopedia
David W. Galenson is a professor in the Department of Economics and the College at the University of Chicago
, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research
. He has been a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, the University of Texas at Austin, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
in Paris, and the American University
of Paris. He is the Academic Director of the Center for Creativity Economics, which was inaugurated in 2010 at the Universidad del CEMA, Buenos Aires.
He is the son of economists Marjorie and Walter Galenson
. He attended Phillips Academy
. He then studied at Harvard University
for both his undergraduate and graduate education, completing his PhD in 1979.
Galenson has become famous for postulating a new theory of artistic creativity. Based on a study of the ages at which various innovative artists made their greatest contributions to the field, Galenson's theory divides all artists into two classes: Conceptualists, who make radical innovations in their field at a very early age; and Experimentalists, whose innovations develop slowly over a long period of experimentation and refinement.
Although Galenson initially developed his theory from data solely concerning the visual arts, he has since also investigated conceptual and experimental innovators among poets, novelists, film makers, popular musicians and economists.
Among the examples Galenson cites of conceptualists are:
Among the examples he gives of experimentalists are:
In 2008, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in fine arts research.
Comics theorist Scott McCloud
seems to have anticipated some aspects of Galenson's theory in his 1993 book Understanding Comics
.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research
National Bureau of Economic Research
The National Bureau of Economic Research is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community." The NBER is well known for providing start and end...
. He has been a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, the University of Texas at Austin, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
in Paris, and the American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
of Paris. He is the Academic Director of the Center for Creativity Economics, which was inaugurated in 2010 at the Universidad del CEMA, Buenos Aires.
He is the son of economists Marjorie and Walter Galenson
Walter Galenson
Walter Galenson was a professor of economics at Cornell University and a noted economist and labor historian.-Education and early career:He received his bachelor's degree in 1934, his master of science in 1935 and his Ph.D...
. He attended Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
. He then studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for both his undergraduate and graduate education, completing his PhD in 1979.
Galenson has become famous for postulating a new theory of artistic creativity. Based on a study of the ages at which various innovative artists made their greatest contributions to the field, Galenson's theory divides all artists into two classes: Conceptualists, who make radical innovations in their field at a very early age; and Experimentalists, whose innovations develop slowly over a long period of experimentation and refinement.
Although Galenson initially developed his theory from data solely concerning the visual arts, he has since also investigated conceptual and experimental innovators among poets, novelists, film makers, popular musicians and economists.
Among the examples Galenson cites of conceptualists are:
- F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, who wrote The Great GatsbyThe Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
at 29. - Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, who painted Les Demoiselles d'AvignonLes Demoiselles d'AvignonHe followed his success by developing into his Rose period from 1904 to 1907, which introduced a strong element of sensuality and sexuality into his work...
at 26. - Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, who made Citizen KaneCitizen KaneCitizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
at 26.
Among the examples he gives of experimentalists are:
- Mark TwainMark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, who wrote Adventures of Huckleberry FinnAdventures of Huckleberry FinnAdventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written in the vernacular, characterized by...
at 50. - Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, who made VertigoVertigo (film)Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
at 59.
In 2008, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in fine arts research.
Comics theorist Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
seems to have anticipated some aspects of Galenson's theory in his 1993 book Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements...
.
Publications
- White Servitude in Colonial America: An Economic Analysis, Cambridge University Press, 1984.
- Traders, Planters, and Slaves: Market Behavior in Early English America, Cambridge University Press, 1986.
- Painting Outside the Lines: Patterns of Creativity in Modern Art, Harvard University Press, 2002.
- Artistic Capital, Routledge, 2006.
- Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity, Princeton University Press, 2007.
- Conceptual Revolutions in Twentieth-Century Art, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
External links
- David Galenson's homepage
- Article about him in Wired
- Faculty page at University of Chicago's Department of Economics
- University of Chicago Experts Guide
- Arts of Innovation, which applies Galenson's approach to innovation in business, science, invention and daily life.