WHITE, Peter Robert Russell

1921 - 1985

Peter Robert Russell White was born in South Africa on 21 December 1921, his father was an engineer and his mother, Olive May White (10 May 1888-1983), was an artist and in the early 1930s they returned to England and in 1939, Peter and his mother Olive were living at 73 Enys Road, Eastbourne, Sussex. Peter was educated at Ottershaw College, Surrey and he studied at Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts and at the Royal Academy Schools. A 2nd lieutenant in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and an account of his war with some of his drawings are in his book 'With the Jocks' (Sutton 2001) in which there is a publisher’s epilogue which includes 'White went back to his studies at the Royal Academy from where he graduated in 1951'. For the next fifteen years, Peter toured Europe, Spain, Portugal, and southern France and went overland to Yugoslavia and Greece, either by motorbike or by a car towing a caravan, making a living writing, painting, illustrating geography textbooks and teaching English and French. On his return to England in 1966, he set up in business taking painting commissions, mostly portraits but also landscapes and his work became noted on both sides of the Atlantic. He married at Wimbledon registry office on 11 November 1972, Elizabeth Colchester née Packard and they lived in Aldeburgh, Suffolk and where he had his studio. Peter Robert Russell White died from a heart attack, whilst restoring a picture at his home at 283 High Street, Aldeburgh on 7 November 1985, aged 64. His geography textbooks contain many of his pictures which date from the early 1950s. His autograph manuscript diaries in 5 volumes, 1 January 1938-10 August 1944 (32.5cm x 20.5cm) were sold at auction by Christie's London in 2007.

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Works by This Artist