Peter Blake (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Blake
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Blake in 2016
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| Born |
Peter Thomas Blake
25 June 1932 |
| Education | Royal College of Art |
| Known for | Painting, printmaking, collage |
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Notable work
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Self-Portrait with Badges, 1961 |
| Movement | Pop art |
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Sir Peter Thomas Blake (born 25 June 1932) is a famous English pop artist. He is best known for helping create the cover for the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He also designed covers for albums by The Who and the Band Aid song "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Peter Blake also designed the trophy for the 2012 Brit Awards.
Blake is a very important artist in the pop art movement. He loves to use images from popular culture in his paintings and collages. In 2002, he was made a knight by the Queen for his amazing work in art.
Contents
Early Life and Art School
Peter Blake was born in Dartford, Kent, on June 25, 1932. He went to art school at Gravesend Technical College. Later, he studied at the famous Royal College of Art. These schools helped him learn and develop his unique art style.
Becoming a Pop Art Star
From the late 1950s, Peter Blake started putting images from everyday life into his paintings. He used pictures from advertisements, music hall shows, and even wrestlers. He often added collage pieces to his art.
In 1961, Blake showed his work in an exhibition called "Young Contemporaries." Here, he was first recognized as part of the new British Pop Art movement. Pop Art uses images from popular culture, like comics, advertising, and everyday objects. Blake won an award for his painting Self Portrait with Badges that same year.
He became even more famous in 1962. He was featured in a TV show about pop art called Pop Goes the Easel. This helped introduce his art to many people.
Famous Album Covers and Artworks
Peter Blake has created many famous album covers. His most well-known design is for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. He designed this iconic cover with his wife at the time, Jann Haworth. The Sgt. Pepper's cover is a very famous piece of pop art. It has been copied many times.
To make the cover, Blake built a special set. He used cut-out photographs of famous people and objects like flowers. This created the unique collage look.
He also designed covers for other bands. These include Pentangle's Sweet Child and two albums for The Who: Face Dances (1981) and WHO (2019).
In 1968, Blake made a special print called Babe Rainbow. It was a screen-print on tinplate and 10,000 copies were sold.
In the early 1970s, Blake created beautiful watercolour paintings. These were used to illustrate Lewis Carroll's book Through the Looking-Glass. He also helped start a group of artists called the Brotherhood of Ruralists in 1975.
Later Works and Special Projects
Peter Blake continued to create art inspired by popular culture. In 1990 and 1991, he painted the artwork for Eric Clapton's live album 24 Nights.
In 2006, Blake designed the cover for Oasis's greatest hits album Stop the Clocks. He chose many random objects for the picture. He also thought about his earlier Sgt. Pepper's cover when designing it. You can see characters like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and the seven dwarfs from Snow White.
Blake also created an updated version of the Sgt. Pepper cover. This new version featured famous people from Liverpool's history. He made it to help Liverpool become the European Capital of Culture in 2008. In 2008, he painted a pig for a public art event in Bath.
As a big fan of Chelsea Football Club, Blake designed a collage for their home uniform in 2010. He also designed a shopping bag for a clothing company.
In 2012, for his 80th birthday, Blake started a project. He wanted to recreate the Sgt. Pepper album cover again. This time, he used images of British cultural icons he admired. He said it showed how strong British culture is.
Blake's art was also shown in an exhibition in 2012. It was called Peter Blake and Pop Music. In 2016, he designed the artwork for Eric Clapton's album I Still Do. In 2020, his poster London Stands Together was given out in a London newspaper.
Awards and Recognition
Peter Blake has received many important awards for his art. He became a Royal Academician in 1981. This means he is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
In 1983, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Then, in 2002, he was made a knight by Prince Charles. This was for his great contributions to art.
His work has been shown in major art galleries. The Tate Gallery held big exhibitions of his art in 1983 and 2008. In 2005, the Sir Peter Blake Music Art Gallery opened at the University of Leeds. It shows 20 of his album cover designs.
In 2011, he received an honorary music degree from the University of Leeds. He also received an honorary Doctor of Art degree from Nottingham Trent University.
Personal Life
Peter Blake was married to artist Jann Haworth from 1963 to 1979. They had two daughters, Liberty and Daisy. In 1980, he met another artist, Chrissy Wilson. They married in 1987 and have a daughter named Rose.
Blake has lived in Chiswick, London, since 1967. His art studio there is a very large space.
See also
In Spanish: Peter Blake (artista) para niños
- Middlesex Guildhall
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- What Do Artists Do All Day?
