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Mervyn Laurence Peake

(1911-1968), Artist and writer

Sitter in 2 portraits
Artist of 2 portraits
Born of British parents in China, Mervyn Peake was an acclaimed writer, poet, artist, illustrator and theatrical designer. His trademark in both painting and writing is a whimsical streak of fantasy tinged with the macabre. In 1946 he was sent to Germany and made drawings at the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen that profoundly influenced his later work. His posthumous reputation rests mainly on his trilogy of novels - Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950) and Titus Alone (1959). Peake suffered from Parkinson's and died before he could complete the series. A fourth book, Titus Awakes, written by Peake's widow Maeve Gilmore using notes left by the author, was discovered in the attic of the family home.

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Mervyn Laurence Peake, by Mervyn Laurence Peake - NPG 7074

Mervyn Laurence Peake

by Mervyn Laurence Peake
oil on canvas, 1932
NPG 7074

Mervyn Laurence Peake, by Maeve Gilmore - NPG 7075

Mervyn Laurence Peake

by Maeve Gilmore
pastel, 1967
NPG 7075

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