Paul Bonaventura, Senior Research Fellow in Fine Art Studies, University of Oxford

As a student, Paul Bonaventura studied history of art at the University of Reading and Courtauld Institute of Art. He trained as an exhibition organiser at the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford before taking up the position of Senior Exhibitions Coordinator at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1987. He moved to the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art in 1994 and was appointed Special Lecturer in Fine Art at Magdalen College in 1999. Recently, he has been the artistic advisor to the UK Pavilion at Aichi Expo in Japan, a judge on the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, a specialist advisor to the Scottish Arts Council and an advisor to and visiting scholar at the New York Academy of Art. Currently, he is a director of Film and Video Umbrella, a trustee of Camden Arts Centre in London and a member of the editorial board of The Art Book.

His research focuses on how professional artists can engage more productively with higher education institutions, and he has a particular interest in fostering collaborations between contemporary artists and experts from other disciplines.