The iconic Yorkshire scenes painted by Peter Brook, above, who died in 2009, were extraordinarily popular during his lifetime and are now seen as highly collectable.
His work is held in collections all over the UK and abroad, including the Tate Gallery, home to artworks by some of Britain’s finest and most famous artists.
A new exhibition of his paintings, the tenth annual show of Peter’s work held at the AC Gallery in Byram Street, Huddersfield, opened recently and can be seen until Sunday, October 12.
Peter’s forte was in capturing the rugged, often chilly, ‘Northern-ness’ of Yorkshire’s hills and dales. Many of his scenes were painted in the winter months and have a still, silent quality about them.
The exhibition, entitled Drawing a Silent Pennine Valley after one of the originals on display, features originals, a large collection of signed prints and the chance to snap up a new limited edition print, which will raise money for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity.
AC owner Mike Baggs says originals by Peter are becoming increasingly difficult to track down.
He explained: “Such was the legacy of work he left when he passed away that his popularity has increased year after year. This year is a real celebration, our biggest ever event.
“We will have over 50 originals on sale, many direct from Peter’s family, which in itself is a major coup as the originals are becoming hard to acquire and are increasingly seen as fantastic investments.
“For us this exhibition has a lot of meaning – it is 10 years since we held our first dedicated exhibition for Peter, and he used to attend the preview evenings right up until the year he passed away.
“People came from far and wide to meet him and see the work and they still come in their droves now.”
Born in 1927, Peter was a teacher in Sowerby Bridge before becoming a full-time professional artist. He lived in Brighouse for most of his life. Although he painted in other areas of the British Isles – he never travelled overseas – Yorkshire scenes were his real focus.
He loved capturing the sort of rural existence threatened by the advances of the modern world and also
featured the mills and industrial heritage of the Yorkshire area.
His work was often suffused with a gentle humour, and his beloved sheepdogs, chosen for their distinctive markings, occasionally appear in his paintings.
Today Peter’s work, which was famously collected by the late Huddersfield-born Hollywood actor James Mason for his Californian home, sells from around £3,000 up to £14,000, and has been snapped up by contemporary actors such as Rodney Bewes, Tom Courtenay, Hannah Gordon and Alan Ladd.
