FANTONI Barry Ernest 1940-2025

Painter, cartoonist and illustrator, the son of musician Peter Fantoni. Born in Stepney, London, he attended Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts, 1953-58. He furthered his knowledge at the Slade, where his contemporaries included David Hockney and Peter Blake. In 1962, Fantoni wrote scripts for the BBC programme, That Was The Week That Was, and in 1966, presented A Whole Scene Going On, a BBC series that drew 16 million viewers and saw him voted TV Personality of the Year. In 1963, he had his first cartoon published in Private Eye.

In collaboration with William Rushton, he entered under a false name, a painting of a bishop, judge and general reading a girlie magazine which was accepted by the RA. In 1963 Fantoni held his first solo exhibition at Woodstock Gallery, London. A gifted musician, he also played the tenor sax and has executed cartoons for The Times and Private Eye. Also known as a novelist and playwright, he had his first play, Modigliani, My Love open in Paris in 1999. In 2013, his play Picasso is Coming … Ce Soir opened in London. His detective novel Harry Lipkin, Private Eye, was published in 2012. Since retirement from Private Eye, Barry lived in Calais, France and his death was recorded in Turin, Italy. His cartoons can be seen at the Chris Beetles Gallery and His work is in the collection of the V&A, Mabey Collection and the BM.