Peter Blake

Peter Blake was born in Dartford, Kent in 1932. From 1946-51 he studied at Gravesend Technical College and School of Art, and from 1950-56 at the Royal College of Art, London. From 1951-53 he served at the Royal Air Force. He studied folk art in various European countries with a research award. From 1959 he did collages with pin - up photos, star images, posters, LP covers, and trivial images. Between 1960-62 he taught at St. Martin's School of Art, London, and from 1962-64 at Walthamstow School of Art. In 1964 he obtained first prize at the John Moore Exhibition, Liverpool, for "Self - Portrait with Badges". In 1963 he married Jann Haworth and traveled to Los Angeles to do drawings for the Sunday Times. From 1974 - 76 he taught at the Royal College of Art, London. In 1969 he was given his first retrospective by the City Art Gallery in Bristol. He moved to Wello, Avon, and continued to live there until 1974. in 1975 he and his wife Jann Haworth were founder members of the "Brotherhood of Ruralists", who had their first exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1976. he became separated from Jann Haworth in 1981 and returned to London. In 1983 he was given a large retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery and at the Kestner - Gassellschaft, Hanover.