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| Bob
Peak (1927-1992) |
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One of
the most imaginative and prolific illustrators
of the 20th century, Robert Peak revolutionized
advertising in the film industry and
is considered the "Father of
the modern movie poster." Robert
Peak totally transformed the approach
to movie advertising from basic collages
of film stills or head shots to flamboyant
artistic illustrations. United Artist
hired Peak in 1961 to help promote "West
Side Story." His
innovative solution-painting characters
and scenes into a single montage-became
the first of over 100 such posters, among
them" My Fair Lady," " Camelot," " Rollerball," " Star
Trek," " Superman " and "Apocalypse
Now." Peak was not short
on editorial assignments with 45 covers
of Time Magazine featuring
his illustrations-most notably the portrait
of Mother Teresa.
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Born
in Denver, Colorado, Peak grew up in
Kansas. He knew from an early age that
he wanted to be a commercial illustrator.
At age seven, he received a gift of
brushes and paints, and by age nine
he was drawing recognizable likenesses.
He attended Wichita State University
where he majored in geology with a
minor in art and got a part time job
in the art department of McCormick-Armstrong.
That is where he gained the confidence
to choose an art career and learned
the skill of versatility-doing layout,
illustration and lettering. After a
stint in the military during the Korean
War, Peak transferred to the Art
Center College of Design in Los
Angeles, California and graduated in
1951.
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In 1953 Peak moved
to New York, landed an Old Hickory
Whiskey ad campaign, and from
that point on his career skyrocketed.
His work appeared in major advertising
and national magazines. Sports
Illustrated sent him on assignments
throughout the world, including a safari
to hunt ibex with the Shah
of Iran. He received the
largest commission of an individual
artist from the U.S. Postal Service to
design 30 stamps for the 1984
Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,
California and 1984 Winter
Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
In 1961 Peak was
named Artist of the Year by the Artists
Guild of New York, and in 1977
the Society
of Illustrators elected him
to its Hall of Fame. For his 30 years
of outstanding contribution to the
film industry, the Hollywood Reporter
presented him the 1992 Key Art
Lifetime Achievement Award. |
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Peak's work is included
in many permanent collections, and three
of these paintings-of Anwar Sadat, Mother
Teresa and Marion Brando -hang
in the Smithsonian Institution. |
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