News: Petry's new book Nature Morte:contemporary artists reinvigorate the Still-life tradition was published in hardback by Thames & Hudson in October 2013 in english, German and DutchHis book The Art of Not Making: The new artist/artisan relationship, was published by Thames & Hudson in hardback (2011) and paperback in 2012. www.michaelpetry.net Michael Petry (born El Paso, Texas, 1960) has lived in London since 1981. He studied at Rice University, Houston (BA), London Guildhall University (MA), and has a Doctor in Arts from Middlesex University. Petry is an internationally exhibited artist, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London, and Curator of the Royal Academy Schools Gallery. He co-founded the Museum of Installation, and was Guest Curator at the Kunstakademiet, Oslo, and Research Fellow at the University of Wolverhampton. Petry co-authored Installation Art (1994), and Installation in the New Millennium (2003), and authored Abstract Eroticism (1996) and A Thing of Beauty is...(1997). The Trouble with Michael, a monograph of his practice, was published by Art Media Press in 2001. Petry's book Hidden Histories: 20th century male same sex lovers in the visual arts (2004) is the first comprehensive survey of its kind, and accompanied the exhibition Hidden Histories he curated for The New Art Gallery Walsall. His two-volume book Golden Rain (2008) accompanied his installation for the On the Edge exhibition for Stavanger 2008, European Capital of Culture. Petry's new book, The Art of Not Making: The New Artist Artisan Relationship for Thames & Hudson was published in April, 2011. Petry was the first Artist in Residence at Sir John Soane's Museum (2010/11) exhibiting two bodies of work, published in Smoke & Mirrors (2011). Petry had a one man show The Touch of the Oracle at the Palm Springs Art Museum (Feb- Aug) 2012 and a 10 year survey of his work (The Touch of the Oracle) is distributed by Thames & Hudson.