Peter graduated from the RCA in 1956 having also completed his National Service. He received the Leverhulme Research Award to study popular art whilst travelling Europe and went on to teach for several years at various London Art Schools, all the while working and exhibiting. His first solo show was held in the Portal Gallery in 1962 and since the early 70s his work has regularly been exhibited in one-man shows and retrospectives around the world. In 1981 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy and in 1994 was made the Third Associate Artist of the National Gallery. He was Knighted in 2002.
Sir Peter Blake | Illustrators | Central Illustration Agency

The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released by EMI Records in 1967, is arguably the most famous album sleeve of all time. The image on the album cover is composed of a collage of celebrities. There are 88 figures, including the band members themselves. Pop artist Peter Blake and his wife Jann Haworth conceived and constructed the set, including all the life-sized cut-outs of historical figures. The set was photographed, with the Beatles standing in the centre, by Michael Cooper. Copyright was a problem as Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager, had to locate each person in order to get permission to use their image in this context.