Peter Godfrey Coker, RA (1926-2004)
Michael Rhodes
http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/?lid=191Biography:
Biography:-
Peter Coker studied at St Martin's School of Art part-time from 1941
to 1943 before joining the Fleet Air Arm from 1943 to 1946. He returned
to full-time study at St Martin's for three years from 1947 and went
on to the Royal College of Art from 1950 to 1954, during which time he
won a Royal Scholarship in 1951 and a British Institution Scholarship
in 1953. Coker returned to St Martin's School of Art to teach
painting, part-time from 1954 to 1973, and then taught at City and
Guilds of London Art School from 1973 to 1985.
Coker has had many one-man exhibitions, originally held at the Zwemmer
Gallery, London, from 1956. From the 1960s his exhibitions were mainly
at the Thackeray Gallery, London and at Gallery 10, London, from the
1980s.
Several retrospectives of his work have taken place, the first at the
Minories, Colchester, touring to the Victoria Gallery, Bath, the Morley
Gallery, London and the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield (1972-73);
further retrospectives were held at the Chelmsford and Essex Museum
(1978) and at the Royal Academy of Arts (1979). More recently,
retrospective exhibitions were held at the Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge (1989), at the Mayor Gallery, London (1991) and a
retrospective of landscapes toured from Abbot Hall, Kendal, to London,
Carlisle and Ipswich (1992). Coker's work has also been represented
in many key group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally,
since 1949.
Coker received his Diploma as an Associate of the Royal College of Art
(ARCA) in 1953 and was elected a Royal Academician in 1972 (ARA 1965).
He received an Arts Council Award to Artists in 1976, the year in which
he published his book, 'Etching Techniques'. Peter Coker lives and
works at Mistley on the River Stour, on the Essex/Suffolk border.
Selected Recent Exhibitions:
2001 Tate Gallery, London
(Small display to celebrate Peter Coker's 75th birthday
1992 New Displays, Tate Gallery, London
Landscapes (1955 to 1991) touring: Kendal, London, Carlisle and Ipswich
(retrospective solo exhibition)
1991 Textile Designs (1954 to 1956), Mayor Gallery, London
(solo exhibition)
The Kitchen Sink Painters, Mayor Gallery, London
1990/91 Flying Colours Gallery, Edinburgh (solo exhibition)
Public Collections:
Arts Council of Great Britain
Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
Bagshaw Art Gallery, Batley
Birmingham City Museums and Art Gallery
Eastern Arts Association, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Carlisle Museum and Art Gallery
Chelmsford and Essex Museum
The Minories, Colchester
Contemporary Art Society of Wales
Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry
Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Ipswich Museums and Galleries
Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
Kettering Art Gallery
City Art Gallery, Leeds
Leicester Museums and Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
British Museum, London
Contemporary Arts Society, London
Chantrey Bequest
National Maritime Museum, London
National Portrait Gallery, London
Royal Academy of Arts, London
Royal College of Art, London
Tate Gallery, London
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
City Art Gallery, Manchester
Norwich Castle Museum
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Rochdale Art Gallery and Museum
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Sheffield City Art Galleries
Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea
Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport
Stedelijk Museum, Ostend
Berardo Collection, Lisbon, Portugal
Publications:
'Etching Techniques', 1976
For further information please contact:
membershipoff...@royalacademy.org.uk
Funeral Service on Tuesday 4th January, 2005, at St Mary's Church,
Mistley at 11.30 a.m., followed by cremation at Weeley Crematorium. A
Memorial Service in London will be held at a date to be announced.
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