biography
Peter Brown is an all-weather painter of street scenes and city landscapes. Known for working directly from his subject, he is affectionately known as ‘Pete the Street’.
Peter is often associated with the city of Bath where he has lived and painted for most of his adult life. But not one to be confined, his easel has been spotted in countless locations across the UK and around the world.
“I work entirely from life using the cities and the countryside as my subjects. I start with what tickles me, and this is likely to be a certain play of the light, weather, space and everyday life. Most of my drawings and paintings take several sittings over consecutive days and in that time, I may meet police officers, dog walkers, road sweepers, residents and tourists.”
He paints a great deal across the UK, its cities, landscapes and coastline, with London, in particular, being a frequent subject for his artworks. However, discovering new places has become more and more important, and his painting has taken him further afield to India, Vietnam, Havana, New York,
and across Europe.
Peter is drawn to a crowd. And whilst he doesn’t consider himself to be a portrait artist (he recently resigned as a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters for this very reason) he loves to capture people going about their business – from the hustle and bustle of city life to families crowded onto a sunny beach.
Major cultural and historical events feature heavily in his work ranging from scenes of revellers at the Glastonbury Festival to poignant images of London in the days that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
During the pandemic, perhaps through necessity, Peter found a renewed energy in painting interiors – of his home in Bath and elsewhere. During this time, he also captured scenes of empty London streets when the lockdowns and working from home turned the city into something of a ghost town.
Recently, Peter has spent a lot of time painting Bristol, a surprisingly untapped source of inspiration despite its proximity to his hometown. And he was drawn to Glasgow to see Banksy’s Cut & Run exhibition at GoMA which featured a collection of Peter’s original oil paintings of the infamous street
artist’s Margate mural ‘Valentine’s Day Mascara’. He fell in love with the city (don’t tell Bath!) and has made many repeat visits to paint the city since.
Peter 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’.
Working mostly in oil, but sometimes charcoal, and very occasionally pastel, he has received numerous awards and is a member of several national art societies, mostly notably the NEAC (New English Art Club) where he has recently completed a five-year term as the society’s President.
Peter paints for one-man shows each year either in London or Bath and has been exhibiting with Messums, London since 2004.
He lives in Bath with his wife Lisa and their five children – Ollie, Toby, Hattie, Ella and Ned – who come and go as they please.
“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.
awards
2023: The Michael Harding Award (NEAC)
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
- Coutts Bank
- Glastonbury Festivals Ltd
memberships
- New English Art Club
- Royal Society of British Artists
- Royal Institute of Oil Painters
- Pastel Society
- Bath Society of Artists
publications
books
- Bath: Paintings by Peter Brown
Published: Sansom & Co 2018, ISBN 978 1 911408 28 4 - 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 (x24) 2002–2022
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
solo exhibitions
2023: Messums London, Cork Street
2023: Messums West, Wiltshire
2022-23: Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
2022: Messums, Cork Street, London
2021: Messums, Harrogate
2020: Messums, Cork Street, London
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