Peter Brook 1927-2009

Peter Brook was born in Yorkshire in 1927 near the 'last of the the 'summer wine' area of Holmfirth. This part of the world would inspire Peter's paintings right up until his death and he became affectionately known as the 'Pennine Painter'.

Educated at Barnsley Grammar School, Peter moved on to teacher training at Goldsmiths College where he visited exhibitions and galleries whilst also attending evening classes in life drawing.

After this period, Peter Brook returned to Brighouse to teach where he would meet his wife Molly and begin a life perfecting his art and capturing the Pennine farms and life that he would become so well known for.

In 1960 Peter had his first one-man exhibition at the Wakefield City Art Gallery which was well received and was favourably reviewed in The Times. By 1962 Peter had been elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

Driven to capture the decaying farming society with broken down fences and crumbling stone walls, his work held a warm affection for the subject matter and recorded it with a tenderness born from his long history with the area and farming.

For Peter the title is very much an important part of the painting, adding poetry and humour to the paintings whilst also making the observer think, as the title may not always be obvious when first looking at the painting.

Despite the northern bias in subject matter, the appeal was much broader with his work was represented by Agnews in London and further shows in America and Australia followed.

Peters work was collected far and wide and celebrities such as Tom Courtenay, Tommy Steele, Rodney Bewes, Hannah Gordon and the late James Mason all collected his work.

In 2009 and 2011 the Tate Gallery included Peters work in their desk diary, alongside many luminaries of the art world, a measure of Peters true standing.