Peter Brook
(born 1927) was an English artist who was best known for his landscape paintings, he was nicknamed “The Pennine Landscape Painter” for good reason.
Brook was born into a farming family in Scholes, Holme Valley, West Yorkshire. But he decided to study to become a teacher at Goldsmith’s College whilst still taking drawing classes in the evening as well as visiting local art galleries. After his education he returned to West Yorkshire and became a teacher, and got married to his wife Molly in 1950.
Peter Brook specialised in painting rural landscapes, farmhouses and scenes from different walks of British life. However, in his early career, he painted buildings such as houses and mills surrounding his home in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. Using his teaching degree he taught art in one of his local schools, frequently telling his students that “inspiration was all around”
Brook’s opportunity to become a full time artist came when he was offered a contract with Agnews of London. He accepted and worked with Agnews for many years, and had multiple exhibitions in London, USA, and Australia. Although Peter never travelled to these places himself. He was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1962.
Over the year his work has caught the eye of many different celebrities at the time, his most famous collector was Hollywood star James Mason who purchased over 20 of Brook’s original paintings. He also featured in the documentary “Home James”, where James Mason visited his hometown of Huddersfield where we saw a clip inside of his studio and Peter and his dog taking a walk over the moors. This is also a trademark inclusion in Brook’s work, himself and his dog are in many of his paintings.
Even though Peter Brook gained massive commercial success throughout is career he stayed a very grounded and private man. Even after his death in 2009, he’s remained very popular, with collectors from around the world still seeking his original painting. Prints are still made so that everyone can have access to his work, something that Peter would have wanted .
View the current available Peter Brook original paintings in our Peter Brook gallery page now.
