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Peter Edwards, (born 20 November 1955), is a British painter. He won the 1994 BP Portrait Award.

Early career

In 1980 he exhibited a small self-portrait in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. The painting was bought by the art collector, Sir Brinsley Ford.[1]

In 1986 his portrait of The Liverpool Poets was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery. His continuing involvement with the gallery and Robin Gibson[2] then 20th Century Curator (later Chief Curator) led to a major one-man exhibition and tour in the Gallery in April 1990 "Contemporary Poets", which consisted of 17 large canvasses of 20 poets, alongside a poem from each poet, numerous studies, and a series of Saturday morning readings from Seamus Heaney, Douglas Dunn, Charles Causley, Wendy Cope, and Craig Raine.[3]

On 30 July 1991, Bobby Moore unveiled Edwards' portrait of Bobby Charlton[4] in the National Portrait Gallery, Sponsored by British Gas plc, it marked the 25th anniversary of England winning the FIFA World Cup.[5] He later painted Ryan Giggs for the National Library of Wales.

In 1993 he exhibited in The Portrait Now show. In 1994 he won the BP Portrait Award[6] with Portrait of an Artist's Model (of Marguerite Kelsey).[7] She had been the model of choice, in the inter-war years, for many leading artists, including Meredith Frampton.[8] This award led to his commission to paint Kazuo Ishiguro, which was unveiled the following summer in the National Portrait Gallery by Ismail Merchant.

Public collections

• National Portrait Gallery, London. 6 works.[9] The portraits are of: Adrian Henri, Roger McGough, Brian Patten, (triple portrait known as) The Liverpool Poets. Seamus Heaney, John Heath-Stubbs, Willy Russell, Sir Bobby Charlton, and Kazuo Ishiguro.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York[10] of the British Poet Peter Reading, and Armenian poet Vahé Oshagan.
• National Museum Wales, painting of Tyrone O'Sullivan.[11]
• Ulster Museum, Belfast,[12] painting of Michael Longley.
• National Library of Wales, 6 works
• St Andrews University, portrait of Principal Struther Arnott[13]
• Birmingham University[14]
• Warwick University, painting of Sir Christopher Zeeman[15]
• Ferens Gallery, Hull[16]
• National Museums Liverpool portrait of Willy Russell
• Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead
• Moma Wales, Sir Kyffyn Williams,[17] Ruth Lambert[18]
• St Georges hospital, London
• Sheffield University[19] Portraits of Sir Peter Middleton and Sir Harry Kroto
• Manchester University portraits of Sir Martin Harris and Alan Gilbert

Bibliography

• The National Portrait Gallery Collection, 1988. Page 203 colour illustration The Liverpool Poets Oil on canvass, 175.9 x 237.5 By Peter Edwards, 1985 (5853) ISBN 0-904017-89-3
• Contemporary Poets, Portraits By Peter Edwards, A National portrait Gallery Exhibition, 1990. "Foreword" by Robin Gibson Curator 20th Century Collection. ISBN 0-85514-031-4. view
• The Portrait Now, National Portrait Gallery, 1993. Page 52. ISBN 1-85514-098-5
• drawings paintings and sculptures, the catalogue. Published by the museums and galleries of Northern Ireland. ISBN 0-900761-38-5. Page 247 Portrait of Michael Longley b.1939 (1989–1990) U4825
• Royal Academy Illustrated 1996, A Souvenir of the 228th Summer Exhibition. Page 10, Peter Edwards Self Portrait Oil 7 × 5 ins.

References

External links

• 45 artworks by or after Peter Edwards at the Art UK site
• National Portrait Gallery – Peter Edwards
• Artist's website.
• The works of Peter Edwards on Art UK
• National Museum Wales
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• Edwards as sitter in The National Portrait Gallery
• Adrian Henri website

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