David Kehr

David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a curator within the department of film at the Museum of Modern Art.

Early life and education

Dave Kehr did his undergraduate work at the University of Chicago, where he studied English. He learned French in part to read the '' Cahiers'' pieces on film. At the time the university did not have a film studies curriculum. He started writing on film for ''The Maroon'', the student newspaper, when he was president of the film society, Doc Films.Steve Erickson, "Interview with Dave Kehr"
, ''Senses of Cinema'', June 2001, accessed May 4, 2010.

Career

From 1974 to 1985, Kehr wrote for ''The Chicago Reader'', where he established a reputation for independent thinking and an understanding of visual style. Until 1978, he edited ''The Readers question and answer column, "The Straight Dope".

He next wrote as a film critic for ''The Chicago Tribune'' (1986–1992). He moved to the East Coast to become film critic for the ''New York Daily News'' (1993–1998). In 1995, he was a member of the jury at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. Kehr is a past chairman of the National Society of Film Critics, and a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.

Beginning in 1999, Kehr wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases, also contributing occasional pieces on individual filmmakers or films. While at the ''Times'', Kehr also produced a film blog, with reviews of films and occasional comment pieces.

Kehr left the ''New York Times'' in late 2013 to work as Adjunct Curator in the film department of the Museum of Modern Art. In 2017, he was promoted to curator.

Kehr participated in the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' critics' poll, where he listed his ten favorite films as follows: ''The Big Trail'', ''Contempt'', ''The Docks of New York'', ''Intolerance'', ''Journey to Italy'', ''Make Way for Tomorrow'', ''Playtime'', ''Sansho the Bailiff'', ''The Searchers'', and ''Vertigo''.

In 2017, Kehr was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a cultural award given by the French government.

Bibliography

*
*

References

External links

Dave Kehr's Blog
Recent and archived articles, ''The New York Times''
An interview with Dave Kehr
on ''The Marketplace of Ideas''
An interview with Dave Kehr in ''The Village Voice''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kehr, Dave
1953 births
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American journalists
National Society of Film Critics Members
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American art curators
American film critics
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Chicago Reader people
Chicago Tribune people
Critics employed by The New York Times
Living people
University of Chicago alumni