Peter Blake: Retrospective
by: Grunenberg , Christoph

Softcover. London, Tate Gallery, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 216 pages. A key figure in the history of British Pop Art, Blake is one of the most influential and original artists working in Britain today. Central to Blake's work since the 1950s has been his fascination with popular culture, ranging from music to Hollywood icons and wrestling stars. Perhaps his most famous engagement with Pop came with his design for the cover of The Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. With this and other works he helped create a specifically British pop aesthetic that defined an era. A prolific artist, he has utilised a variety of media including painting, drawing, collage, sculpture and printmaking; this study focuses principally on his two-dimensional works and provides the first thorough survey of his paintings from the 1950s through to the present. It will include major icons of twentieth-century art, such as Self-Portrait with badges (1961), and Have a Nice Day, Mr Hockney (1981-3), but will also feature many lesser-known works including his recent, major work The Marcel Duchamp World Series.