Artists Biography
John Egerton Christmas Piper
British 1903 - 1992
Piper was taught at Epsom College, and then trained at the Richmond School of Art and later the Royal College of Art in London (1926-28).
During World War II, John Piper was appointed as an official war artist. He was tasked with recording the effects of the Blitz on Britain’s buildings. After producing a series of drawings of Windsor Castle for HM the Queen at the time, his work picked up interest at an increasing rate. After the war, he became a Trustee at the Tate Gallery and National Gallery and then in 1959 he became a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission.
John Piper also created - and is well known for - a stained glass window for Coventry Cathedral; the windows for Eton College Chapel and alongside Patrick Reyntiens, for Liverpool’s Roman Catholic Cathedral.
Also in the 1960s, he took an interest in screen-printing and etching, alongside Chris Prater at Kelpra Studio. In 1983 the Tate staged a full retrospective of his work.
John Piper passed away in Buckinghamshire on 28 June 1992, his children follow in his footsteps as artists and painters.