John Piper was born in 1903. The son of a successful London solicitor, he studied law until the age of twenty-three when his father died, and in 1926 he began his long artistic career, first at the Richmond School of Art and then under Sir William Rothenstein at the Royal College of Art. From 1926 to 1940 he supplemented his income by reviewing art, books and plays and began to make a reputation by illustrating his articles for the Architectural Review with his own drawings. During this time, he was active with his paintings and in the years from 1939 to 1940 they began to sell. In 1940, he was appointed an official war artist.
In 1941 he produced the first series of drawings of Windsor Castle for HM The Queen, who became the Queen Mother, and his work became increasingly prized and sought after. After the war, he became well-known for his stained glass windows for the new Coventry Cathedral, the windows for Eton College Chapel and in collaboration with Patrick Reyntiens for Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral.
From 1940 he held many solo exhibitions and his works are exhibited in galleries throughout the world, from the Tate Gallery, London to the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Piper worked in the graphics field for many years and in 1964 published twenty-four original stone lithographs called "A Retrospective of Churches" which is one of his best known suites of graphics.
In 1983 the Tate Gallery held a retrospective of John Piper's work to celebrate his eightieth birthday. He died in 1992.
About the Friends of Dorchester Abbey
John Piper was an original member of The Friends of Dorchester Abbey which was founded in 1959. The Friends are a charity whose purpose is to raise funds for the conservation, embellishment and maintenance of the structure of the Abbey and for promoting its use for the wider community. This is done through membership subscriptions, donations, legacies, special events and appeals.
As a Friend, you will receive a bi-annual newsletter, listing:
- major Abbey events such as the Dorchester Festival, concerts and craft fairs
- events organised by the Friends such as the annual Dorchester Lecture
- proposed and ongoing works in the Abbey
- outings to other ecclesiastical or historical buildings
To find out how to become a Friend, contact the Membership Secretary by email friends@dorchester-abbey.org.uk or by phone on 01865 341 066. Or for further information click here.
Established in 1973, Bohun Gallery, Henley-on-Thames, has earned a national reputation as one of the leading out-of-London galleries and is well known for its welcoming and personal service.
Bohun Gallery specialises exclusively in contemporary British paintings, prints and sculpture. Over the years, it has had the pleasure of working directly with many highly-respected artists of our time including John Piper, Mary Fedden, Donald Hamilton Fraser, Elisabeth Frink, Maggi Hambling, Ivon Hitchens, David Hockney, John Hoyland, Albert Irvin, Eric Rimmington and Julian Trevelyan, to name but a few.
The gallery runs a lively and varied exhibition programme with up to nine feature exhibitions every year, including solo shows of paintings by gallery artists, exhibitions of original prints and a Christmas exhibition of smaller and more affordable work.
Please contact us if you would like to receive advance notification of forthcoming exhibitions
Patricia Jordan Evans, Director of Bohun Gallery, was privileged to know and work with John Piper from 1975 and continues to exhibit his work on a regular basis.
For further information or to see our latest exhibition visit www.bohungallery.com
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