Dr James Baggott-Brown

Personal statement

I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Art, Film and Media, where I am Subject Coordinator for Critical Studies in Fine Art, Photography and Creative Arts Practice. I am also Higher Degrees Tutor for the School, with responsibility for the coordination of Postgraduate Research recruitment and delivery.

My research addresses art history and cultural theory, focussing on art criticism from the late-twentieth century to the present. My PhD addressed the ‘decline of art criticism’ in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s, and the relationships between criticism and the art market. The focus of this project was the magazine Modern Painters and its founding editor, the English art critic Peter Fuller. His research continues to address Fuller, contextualising his central role in British art and art criticism in the 1980s and 1990s. 

In my role as Subject Coordinator for Critical Studies at BSU, I have redeveloped the delivery and assessment of related modules to align more closely to the concerns and interests of artists. This has formed part of broader research that addresses the nature of the critical/ historical studies elements of arts degrees, and explores ways in which arts students can thrive within the subject area. 

I currently supervise two PhD students at BSU, both exploring aspects of their painting practice through a theoretical lens. 

Academic qualifications

• PhD Cultural Theory – University of Plymouth
• MPhil Art History – Lancaster University
• BA (Hons) Art: History and Culture – Lancaster University
• QTS – Plymouth Marjon University.

Professional memberships

• Member of the Association for Art History.

Teaching specialisms

• Critical Practices (Fine Art, Creative Arts, Photography)
• Art History
• Cultural Theory.