Peter Blake: Pop Art Life

Peter Blake: Pop Art Life is the first major institutional show dedicated to the portraiture of Sir Peter Blake, now aged 94. Remaining true to Blake's Pop art origins, the exhibition will bring together portraits by the artist on a range of media, including found objects such as a military locker, a door and an album cover, to the more conventional, realist portraits of close friends from the worlds of music, fashion and art. Beginning with portraits from his student days in the 1950s, visitors will encounter works spanning the past eight decades. The exhibition will trace a career shaped by popular culture; from the comics and film clubs of his childhood, through to images of his blues and rock 'n' roll heroes including Bo Diddley, Sammy Davis Jr and The Beatles. His portraits and shrines to icons such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe reveal his interest in fandom and celebrity, whilst his fictitious portraits of tattooed figures and wrestlers show Blake as a master storyteller and inventor of worlds. Also included will be his meticulously constructed portrayals of close friends and musicians including Ian Dury and Eric Clapton. Experiencing Blake's portraits in all their varied forms, visitors will learn how he has continually redefined portraiture. His portraits are not simply concerned with capturing an individual's identity, but celebrate national and cultural stories, while reflecting the unique creative mind of one of Britain's most cherished artists.