Peter Howson

Peter Howson has established a formidable reputation as one of his generation's leading figurative painters. Many of his paintings derive inspiration from the streets of Glasgow. He is renowned for his penetrating insight into the human condition, and his heroic portrayals of the mighty and meek. His ability to speak to the peripheries - to both the exclusive echelons living 'the highlife' and the socially alienated outsiders labelled 'low lives' - is proof of his enduring skill at capturing the maverick, excessive and non-conformist, while also seeking spiritual change.

Howson was born in London in 1958. He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1975 - 1977, and returned in 1979 to complete a Masters degree. In 1992 he was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to record the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. He was appointed official British war artist for Bosnia in 1993 and a few years later in 1996 was awarded Doctor of Letters Honoras Causa, University of Strathclyde. Howson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009. Howson’s work has been shown in major shows around the world including the 'Eye on Europe' at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and 'The Naked Portrait' at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2007.

Howson is represented by Flowers Gallery in London and New York.