In Discussion with Peter Fetterman
Photo Courtesy of © David Montgomery
Born in London, Peter Fetterman has been deeply involved in the medium of photography for over 40 years. Initially a filmmaker and collector, he opened his first gallery in 1988. He was one of the pioneer tenants of Bergamot Station, the Santa Monica Center of the Arts, when it first opened in 1994.
Peter’s gallery, Peter Fetterman Gallery, is one of the largest inventories of classic 20th-century photography in the country, particularly in humanist photography. Diverse holdings include work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Ansel Adams, Paul Caponigro, Willy Ronis, André Kertész, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Lillian Bassman, Pentti Sammallahti, Sarah Moon, and Jeffrey Conley. His daily blog, The Power of Photography, has promoted the work of scores of photographers and is read by many thousands of people around the world. Peter has also written multiple books on photography, including The Power of Photography (2022), Women: A Celebration (2003), and Cornell Capa (2002).
I had the pleasure and honor of asking Peter who his favorite photographer is and why, what art means to him, and so much more.
UZOMAH: Is there any difference between selecting an artist to be in a collection versus picking an artist to exhibit at your gallery?
PETER: Yes, I think there is a very big difference between the two.
A commitment to an artist to exhibit. It is, of course, much bigger on so many levels, emotional and financial. The gallery relationship should be so much more intense and requires a much bigger commitment from both sides for it to work successfully for a long period of time.
U: As a filmmaker, how has the use of movement and audio helped you in 2D and 3D art?
P: I think at the end of the day, great art is about storytelling and emotion, and having a background in cinema certainly teaches you the importance of pace and nuance.
Julia Margaret Cameron (British, b. 1815-1879) Saint Family (Rosie Prince, Mary Hillier and Freddy Gould) , 1872 Copyright © Julia Margaret Cameron / Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery
U: Who is your favorite photographer and why?
P: The nineteenth-century pioneer photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. I have always found her work just so incredibly moving and beautiful. To think that this work was created between 1864 and the mid-1870’s…
Makes it even more astounding
U: What about art keeps you interested in pursuing it as a career?
P: I learn so much everyday and this knowledge fuels my passion and just keeps me going. I cannot imagine any other way to live. If I ever stopped learning, I would quit, but this hasn’t happened yet, and I hope it never will
Henri Cartier-Bresson 1908-2004 Siphnos, Greece, 1961 Copyright © Henri Cartier- Bresson/Magnum Photos / Courtesy Foundation Henri Cartier- Bresson / Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery
U: Can you discuss what you look forward to in an artist that you would likely be willing to exhibit at the gallery?
P: I look forward to seeing what the artist would create next, which would still amaze and seduce me from the first time I encountered the work, and what made me want to work with them in the first place.
U: What made you want to be a gallery owner? What is the hardest part of owning a gallery?
P: I wanted to find a way of life that made me feel happy and inspired every day. I feel very fortunate and humbled that I did. Balancing art and commerce and trying to keep the lights on!
Max Yavno 1911-1985 Premiere at Carthay Circle Los Angeles, CA , 1949 Copyright © The Estate of Max Yavno / Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery
U: Since opening the gallery, can you name some of your favorite exhibitions and artists that have shown at the gallery and why?
P: So many favourite exhibitions. But the ones that stand out are Henri Cartier Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Pentti Samallahti, Sarah Moon, Harry Callahan, Sabine Weiss, Willy Ronis, Cig Harvey, Edouard Boubat, and, hopefully, our next one, William Klein. They have all been of great humanist connection, and that is what interests me most
U: What piece of art is your most prized possession in your collection?
P: It is a photograph by Roman Vishniac. Called “Sarah, The only Flowers of Her Youth,” which has haunted me for close to 60 years since the first time I saw it and met its creator on my first trip to the USA so many years ago.
Pentti Sammallahti 1950 Katonah, New York, 2000 Copyright © Pentti Sammallahti / Courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery
U: What do you look for in a great photograph? How does a photo describe a narrative that is more relatable than a traditional visual art piece, such as a painting or sculpture?
P: My definition of a great photograph is akin to asking what makes a great novel. You are one person before you read the novel and a different person after you have read the novel. The greatest photos I have ever encountered were like an immediate arrow to the heart and had a quality and power to them that have haunted me ever since and have made me see life and humanity differently .
Sebastião Salgado 1944-2025 Iceberg between the Paulet Island and the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, 2005 Copyright © The Estate of Sebastião Salgado/ Amazonas Images / Courtesy of Peter/Fetterman Gallery
U: Are there any success stories or notable achievements from artists who have worked with your gallery that you can discuss, and how those achievements make you feel as an owner?
P: I think we were the first gallery to really get behind and support the great photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, and our efforts on his behalf helped contribute the funds to aid him in fulfilling his epic projects.
U: What does art mean to you?
P: Art means almost everything to me apart from some specific human relationships.
It’s my oxygen.
For more information about the Peter Fetterman Gallery, including his current featured exhibitions, please visit his site here, Facebook, and Instagram.
