John Bezold


John Bezold is an American-Dutch journalist, editor, author, historian, and podcaster based in Amsterdam, whose work explores the overlap between early modern visual traditions and contemporary digital media. He is recognized for his expertise in Dutch Golden Age painting, and for his editorial contributions to the fields of modern architecture and design, which have received numerous awards.

Biography

Bezold graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning in 2008, and from the University of Amsterdam in 2015 and 2017. He started in journalism at Frame (design magazine) in Amsterdam, where he authored articles on architecture and design. In 2008, he published one of the first interviews with the designer and researcher Neri Oxman, who at the time established the field of 'materiology'.
He was a contributing editor for Mark magazine, covering contemporary architecture, from 2009 to 2017. From 2009 to 2021, Bezold collaborated with architect Wiel Arets, editing and co-authoring several significant publications on architectural photography and philosophy, designed by Edwin van Gelder, Mevis & Van Deursen, and Irma Boom.
In 2016, Bezold was a research fellow at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, receiving a grant to analyze the museum's painting acquisitions. He is specialized in the work of Dutch painter Frans Hals. In the late-2010s, he authored a column on museum curation trends in the journal Museumvisie, published by the Dutch Museum Association.
From 2019 to 2024, he served on the editorial board of Oud Holland, the world's oldest art historical scholarly journal, focusing on Dutch Golden Age painting and Flemish painting, as a review editor. He modernized the journal by establishing its online presence.
Bezold’s editorial work has been characterized by Rein Wolfs, director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, as being, “Strong and sensitive. Rough yet controlled. And completely convincing.”

Podcast and public engagement

Bezold hosts the podcast Dutch Art & Design Today, discussing art and design in the context of its relation to the Netherlands.

Selected publications

Bezold has written and edited numerous articles and books, with some of his most notable contributions including:
  • "Frans Hals: The Male Portrait," , 6, pp. 278-280, ISSN 2543-1587.Basquiat: The Artist and His New York Scene. Schunck, Heerlen 2019, ISBN 978-9462087071.
  • "Vreemde Wereld: Door tentoonstellingen te populariseren, vergroten musea hun doelgroep. Rijk of arm, homo of hetero, bekend of onbekend: portretten bereiken nieuw publiek," Museumvisie 2, pp. 62-63, ISSN 0166-2074.
  • "Amos Rex Museum in Helsinki," Museumvisie 4, pp. 62-63, ISSN 0166-2074.Ellen Kooi: Above Rotterdam. Actar, New York 2016, ISBN 978-1945150227.
  • "The IJhal in Amsterdam's Central Train Station," Domus (magazine), no. 1007, pp. 60-71, ISSN 0012-5377.Wiel Arets—Bas Princen. Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern 2015, ISBN 978-3775735056.
  • "Paper Gallery: Ellen Kooi," Elephant Magazine, No. 20, ISSN 1879-3835.
  • "Migrating Formations by CAP," Frame, p. 75, ISSN 1388-4239.
  • "No Joints Needed: Neri Oxman Reshapes Architecture," Mark Magazine, ISSN 1574-6453.