RIP the British film poster designer and artist Vic Fair

[Ed_209uk]

I'm sad to report the death of the British artist Vic Fair, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 78.

Arguably the greatest British film poster designer, Vic was responsible for many incredible campaigns during his career, including the poster for the David Bowie starring The Man Who Fell to Earth. He also worked on posters for Hammer films such as Vampire Circus and Bond posters that included a memorable design for A View To A Kill, which proved too unique for producers at the time.

I was lucky enough to get to meet and befriend Vic a few years ago and I published an interview with him in 2013 that can be read on my site here

Below is a pic of Vic in his Highgate garden that I took in 2013 and has never been published before.

[erik1925]

What a great article, Ed, and thanks for sharing that never before shown portrait that you took of him, as well.

He certainly was a talent.

[Tob]

Sad news. Thanks for sharing, Eddie. Thanks to Vic for all the great designs and rest in peace.

[Harry Caul]

RIP 

[martinc]

Sad news.

I just read your interview with him and his character and love of what he did really shone through. Some great posters from the 60s - I particularly liked the one from Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, a film I remember fondly. I don't remember seeing it before - a very striking concept, the mirror face. Just shows that you didn't have to keep cranking out the same old artistic ideas.

A bit like family history, I suppose, where it's important to talk to people while they are still around otherwise information perhaps only they knew often goes with them and. more importantly, the personal stories and memories that give a real flavour of long lives lived.

We know too little about many of the poster artists from the past and it's a real service that you managed to interview him and get such a vivid account of how things were done then.

[brude]

I hate to hear that we've lost yet another magnificent artist.
An Vic Fair was just that -- magnificent.
 

[Mr Trent]

Sad news about Vic Fair, he had an incredible talent for creating unusual and thought-provoking movie poster imagery.

I own a couple of his movie poster originals and, by pure co-incidence, was in the process of buying two more artworks when I heard about his passing.

Rest in peace, Vic.

[Mr Trent]

The first Vic Fair original movie poster painting I purchased was for the 1963 historical yarn, 'Siege of the Saxons'.

This is more of a traditional image for Vic (who would become more experimental in ensuing years), fronting a movie that, while hardly a classic, is actually quite an enjoyable romp.

The original painted art is missing a few pasted-on captions, but is otherwise in great condition.

If anyone has an image of the printed poster, I'd be grateful.  There's another poster design for this movie that is more widely known and used, so I'm guessing my one had very limited circulation?  A cropped version of my art was used for the cover art of a foreign DVD release.