Sir Peter Blake RA

Camellia japonica incarnata

signed and number from an edition of 250
screen print
29 x 35cm (11 1/2 x 13 3/4 in)

Prized for his seminal and iconic Pop Art images of the 1950s and 1960s, including his legendary cover of the Beatles Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band, Peter Blake became a Royal Academician in 1981 and was knighted in 2002. The subjective of a major retrospective at the Tate Gallery in 1983, and Tate Liverpool in 2008, his work is represented in numerous private and public collections, including Tate Britain. In 2014 he unveiled his mural commission for the Royal Albert Hall titled Appearing at the Royal Albert Hall, a montage featuring over 400 stars who have performed there over the years.

A long time Chiswick resident, Peter is unstinting in his support of art projects in the local community. Most recently these have included his contribution of two specially commissioned works for the Chiswick Time Line unveiled under the railway bridge at Turnham Green Station in 2018, and, in September 2019, being the inaugural artist to feature on the W4th Plinth on Turnham Green Terrace with a vast image of many of the singers and performers who appeared on stage at the Chiswick Empire, including Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, Peter Sellers, Liberace and Cliff Richards amongst them.

Peter says: I love Chiswick House for all its eccentricities and the hidden corners in the wonderful gardens. It’s a kind of fantastic 18^th century folie. It has long fascinated me, like a lot of the 18^th century which was such a rich period in our creative history. I feel very lucky to have it on my doorstep.

Donated by the artist.