Lot 18: Sir Peter Blake - 'Bobbie Rainbow'

Sir Peter rose to fame as one of the leading lights of the pop art movement of the 1960s and his influence on the music world can be summarised by the seminal cover art for the Beatle's 'Sergeant Pepper' album. Andy Warhol is often cited as the founder of pop art but, in fact, Sir Peter created his Captain Webb Matchbox before Warhol's soup tin paintings used consumer products as art. Sir Peter's first brush with fame came when he was featured in Ken Russell's seminal film Pop Goes the Easel, which was shown on the BBC in 1962. His work is represented in major collections throughout the world and since 1969 he has had retrospectives at The City Art Gallery, Bristol as well as in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Brussels and Arnheim. In 1974, Sir Peter was made A.R.A and was awarded R.A in 1981. He now works from his studio in Hammersmith, London and maintains a prolific output of work. He was knighted by the Queen in 2002. Click here for more information about Sir Peter.