Richard Wollheim
Encyclopedia
Richard Arthur Wollheim was a British
philosopher noted for original work on mind
and emotion
s, especially as related to the visual arts, specifically, painting. Wollheim served as the president of the British Society of Aesthetics
from 1992 onwards until his death in 2003.
Son of an actress and a theatre impresario, Wollheim attended Westminster School
, London
, and Balliol College
, Oxford (1941-2, 1945-8), interrupted by active military service in World War II. In 1949 he obtained a first in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and began teaching at University College London
, where he became Grote Professor of Mind and Logic
and Department Head from 1963 to 1982. He was visiting professor at Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Minnesota, Graduate Center, CUNY, the University of California-Berkeley, UC Davis and elsewhere. He chaired the Department at UC Berkeley, 1998-2002. On retirement from Berkeley, he served briefly as a guest lecturer at Balliol College. Wollheim gave several distinguished lecture series, most notably the Andrew M. Mellon lectures in Fine Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (1984), published as Painting as an Art.
His Art and its Objects was one of the twentieth century's most influential texts on philosophical aesthetics
in English. In a 1965 essay, 'Minimal
Art', he seems to have coined the phrase, although its meaning eventually drifted from his. As well as for his work on the philosophy of art, Wollheim was known for his philosophical treatments of depth psychology
, especially Sigmund Freud's . His posthumously-published autobiography of youth, Germs: A Memoir of Childhood, with complementary essays, discloses a good deal about his family background and his life up to early manhood, providing valuable material for understanding his interests and sensibility.
Note: given his unique mind, personality, and distinctive writing styles, along with his curiosity and sociability, many of Richard Wollheim's publications are outside academic categories. Besides books, he published many articles, in journals and edited collections, book reviews, and gallery catalogues for shows. He also left writings in manuscript, letters and recordings of his talks.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
philosopher noted for original work on mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
and emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
s, especially as related to the visual arts, specifically, painting. Wollheim served as the president of the British Society of Aesthetics
British Society of Aesthetics
The British Society of Aesthetics is a philosophical organization founded in 1960 to promote the study of aesthetics. The BSA sponsors national and regional conferences, and publishes the British Journal of Aesthetics, as well as a newsletter. The organization also funds projects that promote the...
from 1992 onwards until his death in 2003.
Son of an actress and a theatre impresario, Wollheim attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, Oxford (1941-2, 1945-8), interrupted by active military service in World War II. In 1949 he obtained a first in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and began teaching at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, where he became Grote Professor of Mind and Logic
Grote Chair of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic
The Grote Chair of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic is an endowed chair at University College London.-Origin:Along with Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind and Logic was one of two Philosophy chairs established at the founding of University College London...
and Department Head from 1963 to 1982. He was visiting professor at Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Minnesota, Graduate Center, CUNY, the University of California-Berkeley, UC Davis and elsewhere. He chaired the Department at UC Berkeley, 1998-2002. On retirement from Berkeley, he served briefly as a guest lecturer at Balliol College. Wollheim gave several distinguished lecture series, most notably the Andrew M. Mellon lectures in Fine Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (1984), published as Painting as an Art.
His Art and its Objects was one of the twentieth century's most influential texts on philosophical aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
in English. In a 1965 essay, 'Minimal
Minimal
Minimal can mean:* In mathematics, see Minimal element.* In music, see Minimalist music.* In electronic music, see Minimal techno.* In art see Minimalism.* In computing, see Computing minimalism.* Names:...
Art', he seems to have coined the phrase, although its meaning eventually drifted from his. As well as for his work on the philosophy of art, Wollheim was known for his philosophical treatments of depth psychology
Depth psychology
Historically, depth psychology, from a German term , was coined by Eugen Bleuler to refer to psychoanalytic approaches to therapy and research that take the unconscious into account. The term has come to refer to the ongoing development of theories and therapies pioneered by Pierre Janet, William...
, especially Sigmund Freud's . His posthumously-published autobiography of youth, Germs: A Memoir of Childhood, with complementary essays, discloses a good deal about his family background and his life up to early manhood, providing valuable material for understanding his interests and sensibility.
Publications
For an extensive bibliography of Richard Wollheim's publications by a professional bibliographer, see Eddie Yeghiayan's UC-Irvine site. See also the 'Philweb' listing.Note: given his unique mind, personality, and distinctive writing styles, along with his curiosity and sociability, many of Richard Wollheim's publications are outside academic categories. Besides books, he published many articles, in journals and edited collections, book reviews, and gallery catalogues for shows. He also left writings in manuscript, letters and recordings of his talks.
Books and separately published works (selected)
- F. H. Bradley. Harmondsworth; Baltimore: Penguin, 1959. 2d edition, 1969.
- 'Socialism and Culture'. (Fabian Tract, 331.) London: Fabian Society, 1961.
- 'On Drawing an Object'. London: University College, 1965 (long essay). Repr. in On Art and the Mind.
- Art and Its Objects: an Introduction to Aesthetics. New York: Harper & Row, 1968. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1970. As Harper Torchbook, 1971.
- Art and its Objects: With Six Supplementary Essays. 2d edition. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
- A Family Romance. London: Jonathan Cape, 1969. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1969 (novel).
- Freud. (Fontana Modern MastersFontana Modern MastersThe Fontana Modern Masters was a series of pocket guides on the writers, philosophers, and other thinkers and theorists whose ideas were shaping the intellectual landscape of the twentieth century. The first five titles were published on 12 January 1970 by Fontana Books, the paperback imprint of...
.) London: Collins, 1971. Paperback, 1973. American and later Cambridge University Press (1981) eds. titled Sigmund Freud. - On Art and the Mind: essays and lectures. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,1972.
- 'The Good Self and the Bad Self: the Moral Psychology of British Idealism and the English School of Psychoanalysis Compared' (1975)—repr. in The Mind and Its Depths, 1993.
- 'The Sheep and the Ceremony' (1976)—repr. in The Mind and Its Depths, 1983.
- The Thread of Life. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984.
- Painting as an Art. Andrew M. Mellon Lectures in Fine Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1987.
- The Mind and Its Depths. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1993 (essays).
- On the Emotions. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.
- Germs: a memoir of childhood. London: Waywiser Press, 2004.
Edited books
- The Image in Form: Selected Writings of Adrian Stokes (1974)
- Freud: A Collection of Critical Essays (1974)
- Philosophical Essays on Freud, with James Hopkins. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
- R.B.Kitaj : A Retrospective, with Richard Morphet. London: Tate PublishingTate Publishing LtdTate Publishing is a publisher of visual arts books, associated with the Tate Gallery in London, England. It was established in 1911; nowadays it is a division of Tate Enterprises Ltd, an independent company wholly owned by the Trustees of Tate, and is based at Tate Britain, Millbank, London...
, 1994.
Some main articles
- "Minimal Art", Arts Magazine (January 1965): 26-32. Repr. in On Art and the Mind.
- “Nelson Goodman’s Languages of Art”, The Journal of Philosophy: 62, no. 16 (Ag. 1970): 531.
- “Adrian Stokes, critic, painter, poet”, Times Literary Supplement (Feb. 17 1978): 207-209.
- "The Cabinet of Dr Lacan", Topoi: 10 no. 2 (1991): 163-174. http://philpapers.org/rec/WOLTCO
- "A Bed out of Leaves", London Review of Books 25, no. 23 (4 December 2003). http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n23/woll02_.html
External links
- The Guardians obituary, Arthur DantoArthur DantoArthur Coleman Danto Arthur Coleman Danto Arthur Coleman Danto (born January 1, 1924 is an American art critic, and professor of philosophy. He is best known as the influential, long-time art critic for The Nation and for his work in philosophical aesthetics and philosophy of history, though he...
- The Daily Telegraphs obituary
- The San Francisco Chronicles obituary
- The New York Timess obituary (subscription)
- UCL obituary - PDF format
- Bruce Vermazen, Richard Wollheim Remembered