biography

Peter first came to Bath for a year in 1986 to study an art foundation course. He went on to graduate from Manchester Polytechnic remaining a further two years working in a studio in Ancoats, an area just north of the city centre. He then studied a PGCE in FE in Eltham, London before giving up painting. Returning to Bath in 1993, inspired by the architecture and life of the town, he started to draw in charcoal moving back to working in oils three years later. And it was on the streets of Bath Peter began to earn his living and it was here he earned the nick name ‘Pete the Street’.

Peter paints a great deal across the UK – its cities, landscapes and coastline and in particular London. However, discovering new places has become more and more important and his painting has taken him further afield to India, Vietnam, Havana, USA and across Europe. He rarely paints from reference in the studio preferring to work directly from the subject on site in sometimes the foulest of weathers doing what he calls ‘see and put’. Recently however, Peter has become more interested in interiors – of his home in Bath and elsewhere. Working in charcoal, oil paint and pastel, he has received numerous awards at various national exhibitions.

Peter paints for one-man exhibitions each year either in London or Bath and has been showing with Messum’s, London since 2004. He is a passionate member of the New English Art Club, an elected society of contemporary painters whose ethos resides in art informed by the visual world and personal interpretation. The ‘New English’ was founded in 1885 by a group of artists dissatisfied with the entrenched attitudes of the Royal Academy. So they mounted their first show in 1886 including paintings by Clausen, Sickert and Stanhope Forbes. In 2018, Peter was elected president to the Club.

Peter is also a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal institute of Oil Painters, the Pastel Society, Bath Society of Artists and an honorary member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

Peter lives is Bath with his wife Lisa and their five children: Ollie, Toby, Hattie, Ella and Ned.

“Pete the Street” painting

‘pete the street’

On 6 January 2010, Bath residents – along with people across the UK – woke up to deep snow. As Peter’s children discovered they had a day off school, he left to paint the winter wonderland. He was filmed by Lee Curran of Molly Films:

Pete the painter shot on a Nikon D3s from Lee Curran on Vimeo.

Pete the painter shot on a Nikon D3s from lee Curran on Vimeo.

awards

2018: The Critics’ Choice (New English Art Club)

2017: The Critics’ Choice (New English Art Club)

2017: The Winsor & Newton Award (New English Art Club)

2013: The Critics’ Choice (New English Art Club)

2013: The Le Clerc Fowle Medal, Royal Institute of Oil Painters

2012: The Critics’ Choice, NEAC

2012: Runner up, Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize

2011: The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers Prize

2011: The Critics’ Choice (New English Art Club)

2011: Pall Mall Centenary Show, RAC, Pall Mall: 2nd prize

2009: The Critics’ Choice (New English Art Club)

2008: Arts Club Award (Royal Institute of Oil Painters)

2008: The Prince of Wales Award for Portrait Drawing

2006: First Artist in Residence at the Savoy Hotel, London

2005: Hunting Art Prizes: The Drawing Prize

2005: The Cross Gate Gallery Purchase Prize

2002: The Arts Club Award (New English Art Club)

2001: The Arts Club Award (Pastel Society)

2001: Selected to be hung at the National Gallery from the 2001 RP Show

2000: W. H. Patterson Memorial Award (New English Art Club)

1998: The Bristol Fine Art Oil Painting Prize (Royal West of England Academy)

1998: The Tom Rice Gallery Award (Pastel Society)

1997: The Saint Cuthberts Mill Award (Royal Society of British Artists)

1996: The Pastel Society Non-Members Award

collections

The RAC Club
The Holburne Museum, Bath
The Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
The National Library of Wales
Howard de Walden Estate
House of Fraser
Hottinger Group
The Bowerman Collection
The Savoy Art Collection
The Target Corporation
The Drapers’ Company

memberships

President of the New English Art Club
Royal Society of British Artists (Honorary)
Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Royal Institute of Oil Painters
The Pastel Society
Bath Society of Artists

publications

books

London: Paintings by Peter Brown
Published: Sansom & Co 2015, ISBN 978 1 908326 80 5
My Indian Travels, by Peter Brown
Published: Studio Publications 2013, ISBN978 1 908486 41 7
Brown’s Bath: The Work of Peter Brown
Published: Browns Fine Art 2008, ISBN978 0 9559727 0 6
Exhibition catalogues (x18) 2002–2017

dvds

Peter Brown: Painting Arles – APV Films 2016
Painting Varanasi – Neale Worley 2016
Peter Brown: Oil Sketches – APV Films 2013

art education

1987-90: BA(Hons) Fine Art 2:1, Manchester Polytechnic
1986-7: Diploma in Art Foundation Studies (commendation in painting) BCHE, Bath

one man exhibitions

2019-20: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2019: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2017: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2016: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2016: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2014: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2014: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2013: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2013: Messum’s (‘My Indian Travels’)

2012: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2011: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2010: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2009: Alexander Meddowes, Edinburgh

2009: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2008: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2008: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2007: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2006: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2006: Albany Gallery, Cardiff

2005: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2005: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2004: Messum’s, Cork Street, London

2003: W.H.Patterson Fine Arts, London

2003: “West Sussex”, Champs Hill, Pulborough

2002: W.H.Patterson Fine Arts, London

2002: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

2000: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath

group exhibitions

2016: ‘New Perspectives’, Messums, Wiltshire

2015: ‘Varanasi – 4 Painters’, Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, London

2013: ‘Howard, Cullen, Horton, Devlin and Brown in India’, The Tryon Gallery, London

2011: Discerning Eye (invited artist)

2010: 2-man, Albany Gallery, Cardiff

2005: Arts Club Award Winners Exhibition, Dover Street, London

2004: ‘Richard Pikesley and Peter Brown’ 2-man, Chome Fine Art, Bath

2003: Autumn Exhibition, 3-man, W.H.Patterson Fine Arts, London

2003: ‘The View’ Waterstones Piccadilly and Orleans House Gallery, Richmond

2002: ‘Peter Brown and David Gordon Hughes’, W. H .Patterson Fine Arts, London

2002: ‘Urban Myths’ 5-man, Beaux Arts, Bath

2000: ‘Peter Brown and Lionel Aggett’, W.H.Patterson Fine Arts, London

2000: ‘A Select Seven’, W. H. Patterson Fine Arts, London

1997-99: Mixed shows: The Albany Gallery, Cardiff the Alresford Gallery, Alresford, Beaux Arts, Bath and Island Fine Art, Isle of Wight.

open exhibitions

Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 to date

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011

Lynn Painter- Stainers Prize 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012

The Hunting Art Prizes finalist: 1998 , 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005

The First RWA Open Painting Exhibition 2001

The Discerning Eye: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2011

The Laing Art Competition: 2001

The New English Art Club: 1997 to date

Royal West of England Academy: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

Royal Institute of Oil Painters: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 to date

Pastel Society: 1996 to date

Cheltenham Open Drawing: 1998

Bath Society of Artists: 1995 to date