Peter Fuller
Peter Michael Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1947 Damascus, Syria |
| Died | April 28, 1990 (aged 42) Berkshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Art critic, documentary filmmaker, author, editor |
| Years active | 1970s–1990 |
| Known for | Founder and editor of Modern Painters magazine |
Peter Michael Fuller (31 August 1947 – 28 April 1990) was a distinguished British art critic, documentary filmmaker, prolific author of more than fifteen books, and the founder and editor of the magazine Modern Painters.
Early life and education
Born in Damascus, Syria, Fuller received his education at Epsom College before attending Peterhouse, Cambridge University.
Career
During the early 1970s, Fuller contributed to radical publications such as Black Dwarf and was instrumental in launching Seven Days, a brief Marxist weekly with a glossy format. Subsequently, he worked extensively as a freelance writer.
In 1987, Fuller established and took on the editorial role for the quarterly periodical Modern Painters, which aimed to highlight British artists while embodying his respect for John Ruskin’s artistic philosophy. By spring 1989, he had assumed the position of art critic for both The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph, with his last published critique appearing on 29 April 1990.
For nearly twenty years, Fuller was a frequent contributor to Art Monthly UK and New Society. His bibliography includes influential titles such as Art and Psychoanalysis. Although initially aligned with the perspectives of critic John Berger, Fuller’s political stance shifted rightward midway through his career, resulting in disagreements with former associates like Art & Language. His correspondence, diaries, and other writings are preserved at the Tate Gallery.
The Peter Fuller Memorial Foundation
Founded in 1991, the Peter Fuller Memorial Foundation operates as a registered charity in England (no. 1014623). The foundation organizes an annual lecture at the Tate Gallery and is responsible for publishing the digital art journal Art Influence.
Personal life
Fuller was married to Stephanie during his later years. He tragically lost his life at age 42 in a single-car accident on the M4 motorway in Berkshire, England on 28 April 1990; the crash also caused injuries to his wife and their three-year-old son. His final resting place is in Stowlangtoft, Suffolk, UK.
Books
Peter Michael Fuller authored over fifteen significant works addressing aesthetics, creativity, art criticism, and psychology, including:
- Die Champions: Psychoanalyse des Spitzensportlers (1976)
- The Champions: The Secret Motives in Games and Sports (1977, 1978)
- The Psychology of Gambling (co-authored with Jon Halliday), 1977
- Art and Psychoanalysis, first published 1981; reissued in 1988
- Beyond the Crisis in Art, 1981
- Robert Natkin, 1981
- Seeing Berger: A Reevaluation of Ways of Seeing, 1981
- Aesthetics After Modernism, 1983
- The Naked Artis: 'Art and Biology' and Other Essays, 1983
- Images of God: The Consolations of Lost Illusions, released in 1985; reissued in 1990
- The Australian Scapegoat: Towards an Antipodean Aesthetic, 1986
- Henry Moore (with Susan Crompton & Richard Cork), 1988
- Seeing Through Berger, 1988
- Theoria: Art and the Absence of Grace, 1988
- Left High and Dry: the Posturing of the Left Establishment, 1990
- Marches Past, published posthumously in 1991
- Peter Fuller's Modern Painters: Reflections on British Art (edited by John McDonald), 1993
- Henry Moore: An Interpretation (hardcover edition, 1993; paperback edition, 1994)
These publications have played a vital role in shaping discourse within art theory and cultural critique.
Films
Peter Fuller partnered with Mike Dibb on a number of documentary projects, such as:
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow – a 50-minute exploration of art and psychoanalysis featuring Robert Natkin and Peter Fuller, produced by the BBC in 1979
- Fields of Play – a five-episode series, each lasting 60 minutes, analyzing the significance of play from childhood through to military simulations, broadcast by the BBC in 1979
- Naturally Creative – a 90-minute film essay investigating the roots of human creativity, aired on Channel 4 during 1986/7