Peter Lanyon: A Gallery Selection

Few bodies of work are as sophisticated as that of Peter Lanyon. Despite a life and career cut tragically short, it is a testament to his talent and innovation that he left an enduring mark on the art world, both during his lifetime and after his premature death.

Peter Lanyon seemed driven by an irresistible need to create. One friend recalled that while walking along the beach, he would gather driftwood, seaweed, shells, and pebbles, assembling them into structures on the shore; leaving them to the elements and the next high tide.

Having grown up in West Cornwall, Lanyon's connection to the landscape was inseparable from his artistic practice. His work became a continual attempt to communicate both the emotional and physical experience of place. As he himself remarked, “You might say I’m trying to paint my environment inside and out.”

This selection of works illustrates the breadth of Lanyon’s career, from his wide-ranging experimentation to the innovative approach that redefined the nature of landscape painting.