Peter Collins ARCA (1923 – 2001)
Self-Portrait in Two Mirrors with Nude
Ink and wash
45 x 30 cm
Provenance: the artist’s studio sale.
Collins simultaneously depicts himself painting, and reflected painting – his face is repeated in the two mirrors, and the model’s figure appears three times. The picture’s perspective leaves us questioning which model, and perhaps which Collins, is the real one.
Collins’s first job was at an advertising agency, in the commercial studio. World War II interrupted his career and he joined the Royal Artillery (of the British Army), teaching painting and drawing in the Education Corps – whilst simultaneously teaching at St Martin’s School of Art, part time.
Following the war, Collins studied at the Royal College of Art, winning a scholarship. He then worked as a commercial artist, producing some well-known posters for clients including British Railways and British European Airways. He was the Art Director at Odhams Press and spent time designing for both ICI and Shell.
With his wife Georgette, he created the ‘Bacombe Galleries’ in Sussex, converting a group of buildings into a gallery space. In 1975 they developed the Stanley Studios in Chelsea, which were scheduled for redevelopment, into a combined artists’ studio and residence. Moving into the Stanley Studios allowed the Collinses to immerse themselves in Chelsea’s art scene, and they proceeded to fill the studios with art, antiques, sculpture, and other curios.
Condition: generally very good.
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