© The John B. Fulling Haitian Art Collection 2010 Website Design By Roni Lefcort Creative Design JOHN B. FULLING was a man who explored many endeavors during his lifetime.  He was an interesting character, almost larger than life.  He was a sharp shooter who used a pistol and accumulated many awards and medals; he built and raced sailboats; he was an adventurer who was interested in searching for the lost art of the Mayans; and he was married five times. He lived his life to the fullest.  At his funeral, one of his friends said that there was a photograph of John with Ernest Hemingway on the wall of a famous restaurant and bar on the island of Bimini.  John on one side and Hemingway on the other side of this large fish, both with huge smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands. Fulling was born in New Jersey on June 21, 1924, and grew up in Fort Lee.  He moved to Florida in 1957, where he continued with his interest in fast boats.  He had expensive hobbies, and to support them he developed an interest in buying and selling real estate in Florida.  He sold many large hotels in Miami and sold orange groves in the middle of the state long before Disney arrived there.  He owned condos, a horse ranch in Delray, shopping centers in the Ft. Lauderdale area and many other properties. In the 1960’s John developed an interest in Mayan art, so just like Indiana Jones, off he went into the jungles of Guatemala, with guides and guns, to accumulate one of the largest collections of Mayan art in North America.  After selling off this vast collection to individual collectors and major museums, he turned his fascination to paintings, specifically to Haitian paintings, ultimately amassing perhaps the largest private collection of Haitian Art in the world. From the late 1970’s until his death in …, and even though this endeavor was in no way as dangerous or intriguing as his Indiana Jones escapades in the jungle, Fulling enjoyed his many trips to Haiti.  He loved the paintings, and he loved the artists there as if they were part of his family.  Although John collected and appreciated many paintings from various well-known Haitian artists, his favorite was Andre Pierre. He always looked forward to his trips to see Andre Pierre, one of the most famous of the Haitian artists.  He enjoyed his many sessions of talking and drinking with Andre Pierre, and he particularly enjoyed watching him paint his masterpieces.  In the 1990’s, as both men were approaching the end of their lives, they simply enjoyed each other’s company just eating and drinking and talking.  It was during these latter years that John commissioned his good friend, Andre Pierre, to make the largest painting that he had ever put on canvas. That rare and much-prized painting, a triptych, is included in the John B. Fulling Collection of Haitian Art which is now offered for sale as a complete collection by its current owners, his daughter from his first marriage and his son from his fifth marriage.     ABOUT MR. JOHN B. FULLING