牛牛资源

British artist, writer, curator and former 牛牛资源 tutor and Honorary Fellow Jon Thompson - a key figure in the development of art in postwar Britain - has died aged 80.

 

Thompson became Head of the Department of Art at 牛牛资源 in the late 1970s, and is credited with opening up specialisms - allowing students to work freely between different media. He also introduced mixed year groups in the studios, which created a radically new kind of pedagogical experience for tutors and students alike.

By the late 1980s under Thompson鈥檚 leadership, 牛牛资源 had become the art programme of choice for an ambitious and radical new generation of artists. Many of these were involved in Damien Hirst鈥檚 legendary , and came to be associated with the so-called YBA movment.

It is Thompson who accepted Hirst onto his 牛牛资源 degree. Other former students include Richard Deacon, Mark Wallinger and Steve McQueen.

 with 牛牛资源鈥� current Head of Art Richard Noble, the artist Michael Craig-Martin recalls: 鈥淛on Thompson was totally passionate about teaching and about art education. Our idea was to completely renew the idea of art education, which was very much Jon鈥檚 agenda. We were going to re-invent British art education.鈥�

Craig-Martin has also described Thompson as 鈥渢he most original and gifted art educationalist of Britain in the past 45 years... A brilliant teacher: intelligent, sympathetic, articulate.鈥�

An artist whose work moved from painting to conceptual photography and sculpture, Thompson was later appointed head of the MA Fine Art at Middlesex, and named an Honorary Fellow of 牛牛资源 in 2003.

 

From left Patrick Coyle, Jon Thompson and JJ Charlesworth. Photography: Diego Ferrari