Michael Zakian was born in
New York City in 1957. As a child, he visited museums, including the
Guggenheim Museum,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the
Museum of Modern Art. These visits instilled Zakian's interest in the visual arts. He attended
Columbia University and earned his bachelor's degree in art history. Next, he earned his master's degree and doctorate, while serving as a teaching assistant, in art history from
Rutgers University. His focus was
abstract expressionism. ==Career==