John Piper

1903–1992

John Piper, ‘Covehithe Church’ 1983 — Covehithe Church 1983
© The Piper Estate
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In Tate St Ives

Modern Art and St Ives: Paris, London and St Ives 1920–1940

In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Rooms

View by Appointment

In Tate Britain

Library and Archive Reading Rooms

View by Appointment

Biography

John Egerton Christmas Piper CH (13 December 1903 – 28 June 1992) was an English painter, printmaker and designer of stained-glass windows and both opera and theatre sets. His work often focused on the British landscape, especially churches and monuments, and included tapestry designs, book jackets, screen-prints, photography, fabrics and ceramics. He was educated at Epsom College and trained at the Richmond School of Art, followed by the Royal College of Art in London. He turned from abstraction early in his career, concentrating on a more naturalistic but distinctive approach, but often worked in several different styles throughout his career. He was an official war artist in World War II and his war-time depictions of bomb damaged churches and landmarks, most notably those of Coventry Cathedral, made Piper a household name and led to his work being acquired by several public collections. Piper collaborated with many others, including the poets John Betjeman and Geoffrey Grigson on the Shell Guides, and with the potter Geoffrey Eastop and the artist Ben Nicholson. In his later years he produced many limited-edition prints.

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Artworks

John Piper, ‘Covehithe Church’ 1983

John Piper Covehithe Church

1983

T03818

John Piper, ‘St Mary le Port, Bristol’ 1940

John Piper St Mary le Port, Bristol

1940

N05718

John Piper, ‘Somerset Place, Bath’ 1942

John Piper Somerset Place, Bath

1942

N05720

John Piper, ‘Figure Drawing’ 1941

John Piper Figure Drawing

1941

T05810

John Piper, ‘[title not known]’ 1972

John Piper [title not known]

1972

View by appointment P05051

John Piper, ‘Beach with Starfish’ c.1933–4

John Piper Beach with Starfish

c.1933–4

T05030

John Piper, ‘Flintham’ 1977

John Piper Flintham

1977

View by appointment P05467

John Piper, ‘Abstract I’ 1935

John Piper Abstract I

1935

N06212

Artist as subject

J. Leger & Son (London, UK), ‘J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Exhibition of Modern Paintings’’ 1944

J. Leger & Son (London, UK) J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Exhibition of Modern Paintings’

1944

TGA 20052/2/15/3

Sir Jacob Epstein, recipient: Peggy Jean Lewis, ‘Letter from Jacob Epstein to Peggy Jean Hornstein’ 25 November [1957]

Sir Jacob Epstein, recipient: Peggy Jean Lewis Letter from Jacob Epstein to Peggy Jean Hornstein

25 November [1957]

View by appointment TGA 993/6

Julian Trevelyan, ‘Scrapbook’ 1938–40

Julian Trevelyan Scrapbook

1938–40

View by appointment TGA 898/1/3

J. Leger & Son (London, UK), ‘J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures: Nudes by Contemporary Artists’’ January–February 1942

J. Leger & Son (London, UK) J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures: Nudes by Contemporary Artists’

January–February 1942

TGA 20052/2/11/8

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Michael Ernest Sadler, ‘Letter from Henry Moore to Michael Ernest Sadler’ 27 June 1942

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Michael Ernest Sadler Letter from Henry Moore to Michael Ernest Sadler

27 June 1942

View by appointment TGA 8221/2/106

J. Leger & Son (London, UK), ‘J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Paintings, Water-colours & Sculptures by Contemporary Artists’’ 1943

J. Leger & Son (London, UK) J. Leger & Son exhibition catalogue titled ‘Paintings, Water-colours & Sculptures by Contemporary Artists’

1943

TGA 20052/2/15/1

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Michael Ernest Sadler, ‘Letter from Henry Moore to Michael Ernest Sadler’ 21 February 1942

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Michael Ernest Sadler Letter from Henry Moore to Michael Ernest Sadler

21 February 1942

View by appointment TGA 8221/2/105

Julian Trevelyan, ‘Scrapbook’ 1931–9

Julian Trevelyan Scrapbook

1931–9

View by appointment TGA 898/1/1

Dame Barbara Hepworth, ‘Volume of sculpture records’ 1948

Dame Barbara Hepworth Volume of sculpture records

1948

TGA 7247/18

Features

Tate Etc

Opinion: 'Middlebrow' art

Hana Leaper

‘Highbrow’ and ‘lowbrow’ art – the cultural hierarchies have been with us for over 100 years, but it is time ...

John Piper, ‘Beach with Starfish’ c.1933–4

Tate Etc

John Piper: Cut-and-Paste Landscapes

Luke Piper

John Piper (1903–1922) worked across a diverse range of media and, as his grandson Luke recalls, he made collages inspired ...

Ben Nicholson OM, ‘1924 (first abstract painting, Chelsea)’ c.1923–4

Art Term

The Seven and Five Society

Formed in London in 1919 The Seven and Five Society was initially a traditional group and can be seen as ...

Production shot of Kenneth Clark at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, for Civilisation 8 - The Light of Experience 1969

Tate Etc

To the rescue of civilisation man: Kenneth Clark: Looking for Civilisation

James Hall

In his day Kenneth Clark was an influential patron, art historian, collector, gallery director and broadcaster - and one of the ...

John Piper, ‘Glaciated Rocks, Nant Ffrancon’ 1944

Blog

John Piper: painting the British landscape in wartime

Alison Smith

This view in Snowdonia is characteristic of the wartime phase of Neo-Romanticism, a tendency that combined an interest in the ...

Spartacus Chetwynd The Walk to Dover 2005 Film still

Tate Etc

Something supernatural, this way comes: Magic and Modernity in British Art

Michael Bracewell

Folklore, mythology, mysticism and the occult pervade the development of modernism and Surrealism in Britain, especially in relation to the ...

John Piper Notebooks and sketchbooks from the John Piper Archive

Tate Papers

Perspectives: Negotiating the Archive

Sue Breakell

Archives are more prominent than ever, not only in art practice and theoretical discourse but also in popular culture. An ...

F.C. Tyler Alfred Watkins photographing Eastcombe Cross, April 1926

Tate Papers

Lines of Sight: Alfred Watkins, Photography and Topography in Early Twentieth-Century Britain

Stephen Daniels

Alfred Watkins (1855–1935) originated the idea of ley-lines and surveyed alignments which articulated the prehistoric landscape of Britain, in ...

Sketches, letters, etc.

John Piper, ‘Photograph of Watchet harbour, Somerset’ [c.1930s–1980s]

John Piper Photograph of Watchet harbour, Somerset

[c.1930s–1980s]

TGA 8728/1/6/49

John Piper, ‘Photograph of a building possibly in Oxford’ [c.1930s–1980s]

John Piper Photograph of a building possibly in Oxford

[c.1930s–1980s]

TGA 8728/1/28/177

Henry Moore OM, CH, ‘‘Some Notes on Space and Form in Sculpture’, ‘Sculptor’s Drawings’ and ‘Notes’ by Henry Moore’ 1951

Henry Moore OM, CH ‘Some Notes on Space and Form in Sculpture’, ‘Sculptor’s Drawings’ and ‘Notes’ by Henry Moore

1951

View by appointment TGA 200410/3/4/25

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Myfanwy Piper, ‘Letter from Henry Moore to Myfanwy Piper’ 30 March 1954

Henry Moore OM, CH, recipient: Myfanwy Piper Letter from Henry Moore to Myfanwy Piper

30 March 1954

View by appointment TGA 200410/1/1/2623

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