Bio

Kim Beil is an art historian who specializes in the history of photography. Her book, Good Pictures: A History of Popular Photography, looks at 50 stylistic trends in the medium since the 19th century. Recently she’s written for the New York Times about tracking down an Ansel Adams photograph in the High Sierra with a team of astronomers. She’s also written about photography and climate change for The Atlantic, a survey of street views for Cabinet, and a history of screenshots for the Believer. She also writes frequently about modern and contemporary art for Artforum, Art in America, BOMB, Photograph, and Sculpture magazines.

Academic Appointments

  • Lecturer, Stanford Introductory Studies

Contact

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 3068

Links

2024-25 Courses

All Publications

  • When the Light, Shadow and Stars Aligned: Standing Where Ansel Adams Stood The New York Times Beil, K. 2023
  • Street Views Cabinet Magazine Beil, K. 2021
  • On Craft: What I Learned While Cataloguing An Entire Library Literary Hub Beil, K. 2021
  • Midwestern Exposure Lapham's Quarterly Beil, K. 2021
  • Good Pictures: A History of Popular Photography Beil, K. Stanford University Press. 2020
  • No Longer Trending: On How We Name Photographic Fads Literary Hub Beil, K. 2020
  • Why We Love To Play Pretend In Front Of Scenic Backdrops Aeon Beil, K. 2020
  • Snap Judgment Lapham's Quarterly Beil, K. 2020
  • Photography Has Never Known How To Handle Climate Change The Atlantic Beil, K. 2020
  • The Myth of Black and White Modernism: Color Photographs and the Politics of Retrojective Looking VISUAL RESOURCES Beil, K. 2015; 31 (3-4): 127–53

    View details for DOI 10.1080/01973762.2015.1073972

    View details for Web of Science ID 000366809100001