Dave Kehr. Photo credit: (c) 2013 Ray Pride.

Film journalist Dave Kehr has been appointed Adjunct Curator in the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Director Glenn D. Lowry said Monday. Kehr, who began his career in Chicago and has been a regular film columnist for The New York Times will spearhead new scholarship and exhibitions related to MoMA's film collection.

In making the announcement, MoMA said Kehr will “focus on making the [film] collection more accessible to audiences outside New York by developing the museum's circulating film strategies in the digital realm.” He will work closely with Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, beginning December 1. Kehr's appointment comes almost one year since Laurence Kardish retired as the Film Department's Senior Curator. 

Kehr began his career as a film critic in Chicago, starting out at the Chicago Reader in 1974 and later wrote criticism for Chicago Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. He moved to the New York Daily News in 1993 and joined The New York Times in 1999, taking over the “At the Movies” column. In 2003, he was named the paper's video critic and evolved the weekly column examining a broad spectrum of classic and contemporary, domestic and foreign films.

Additionally, Kehr has served as a contributing editor to Film Comment since 1985 and his work has appeared in publications ranging from Les Cahiers du cinéma to Entertainment Weekly. He is a member of the National Society of Film Critics and the Library of Congress’s National Film Preservation Board, and is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres.

“Dave Kehr has a hard-earned and dedicated international following as a champion of the under-recognized and long-forgotten in cinema,” said Roy in a statement. “His writing has helped uncover numerous lost gems, provided support for their preservation, and inspired countless cinephiles and filmmakers alike. We are thrilled to have him dive into our collection and add his voice to the celebration of the art of the motion picture.”