Theodore Cantrell is an American artist and scholar whose work bridges Western and Eastern aesthetic philosophies. Born in Boston, MA, Cantrell earned his BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, Boston, before completing an MA in Studio Art through New York University’s program in New York City and Venice, Italy. He further distinguished his academic career at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where he earned a Ph.D. in Art Philosophy from the Oil Painting Department. His doctoral thesis was notably selected for the “Selected Essays of International Students of China Academy of Art,” an honor awarded to only two Americans in the institution’s last thirty years.
Dividing his time between China and the United States, Cantrell’s practice includes both international exhibitions and critical writing. His work has been exhibited at the Beijing Museum of Contemporary Art, the China Academy of Fine Arts Museum, and the Inner Mongolia Art Museum, as well as venues in Bogotà, Taipei, and Wuhan. An active voice in global art discourse, his essays have been featured in Contemporary Art Review (China), Art Deal Magazine (India), and Art Echo Magazine (India).