Midget (from Side Show)

Peter Blake|Waddington Graphics

1974–78 · Wood engraving; working proofs · Drawings and Prints

Best known for his design of the album cover for the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), Blake has engaged aspects of popular entertainment in his work throughout his career. Having frequented the circus since childhood, he has long been drawn to figures who, in his words, "don’t conform to modern standards of beauty." Side Show is a portfolio of five wood engravings that he made after photographs. While the subject aligns with standard Pop themes, the execution does not. The intimate scale and format of the portfolio, as well as the artisanal technique and organic character of the wood and gampi paper involved in its production, are qualities seldom found in Pop artworks.

Artist

Peter Blake|Waddington Graphics

Date

1974–78

Medium

Wood engraving; working proofs

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, John Driscoll Gift, 2011