Sir Peter Blake, the 95-year-old artist known as the godfather of British Pop Art, has declared his career “complete.” He now signs his work with “PS,” a postscript to his legacy, a narrative control he has taken before. Aged 65, he announced his retirement, ‘not from painting, but from the difficulties of the art world’; at 75 he began his ‘late period’. Despite slowing down, Blake remains active, though he admits, ‘I’ve slowed down, and got old,’ and now uses a walking frame alongside his signature suit, white shirt, and red braces.
These overlapping shows, which he didn’t expect, mark a significant moment in his career, offering a rare opportunity to explore his world.
A Life in Art
Born in 1932, Blake grew up in Dartford, just outside London. He remembers being evacuated with his younger sister in 1939 and seeing the vapour trails left by Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain. By the time the war ended, ‘childhood had disappeared,’ and at 13, he began his artistic journey at Gravesend School of Art.
Near the station, he discovered a junkyard in an old Nissen hut, where he bought a portrait of the RMS Queen Mary, a Victorian papier-mâché tray, and a set of bound Shakespeare, igniting his lifelong passion for collecting. After National Service, he attended the Royal College of Art, where his contemporaries included Richard Smith, Bridget Riley, Frank Auerbach, and Leon Kossoff. Here, he was encouraged to choose his own subjects, shaping his unique artistic voice.
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Blake’s work blends mythology with cultural icons, creating shrines to Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, and imagining Marcel Duchamp interacting with the Spice Girls. His practice is deeply intertwined with his love for mythology, both real and imagined, linking his reverence for celebrities with the backstories of his invented characters.
Exhibitions Showcase a Lifetime of Work
The Pitzhanger Manor exhibition, opening November 25, features work from the 1960s onwards, including Hogarth collages and a recreation of Blake’s studio. The National Portrait Gallery show, opening February 11, offers a career retrospective, blending biography, cultural iconography, and make-believe. Both exhibitions will display new work, demonstrating Blake’s continued creativity despite his recent cataract surgery. His collages, known for their precise cutting, remain lively, alongside pure still-life paintings.
A Collector’s Eye
Peter Blake: In the Studio is at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, November 25–April 18; pitzhanger.org.uk | Peter Blake: Pop Art Life is at the National Portrait Gallery, February 11–May 23; npg.org.uk | waddingtoncustot.com