PETER SORELL

Born in Chipstead, Surrey, on the 6th April 1948. He left school the day after his 15th birthday to study Graphic Design at Reigate School of Art. Peter, ever the individualist, left without his diploma, having upset his tutors by going on holiday before the final term had finished. This didn’t prevent him from being hired almost straight away by a large London advertising agency, as a Junior Art Director, before going on to work as a graphic designer at two leading design groups, in the Scott/Jaffe and Talmadge, Drummond & Partners. Peter had at first toyed with the idea of immigrating to Canada, but decided on Australia in 1969, and worked as Art Director for what was considered its best agency at the time, Connaghan & May in Sydney, and consequently as a freelance designer.

He had attended a series of lectures at Sydney University given by Robert Hughes, a precursor to the book "The Shock of the New". The sheer charisma of Hughes rekindled within Peter's spirit an intense interest in the fine arts; listening to Hughes, feeling the desire and passion for art would change the course of his life.

Peter decided to leave everything behind and traveled throughout South East Asia, and after working for Batty advertising in Singapore for a while, he ended up living on a Greek island where another chance meeting would further lead him towards painting.

The American artist Douglas James Johnson offered Peter a house in the village of Forcalquier in the south of France for as long as he wished, and this was the start of finally doing what he realized he loved most: Fine Art.

It was there in the solitude of the beautiful surroundings, in a 12th century house that Peter began drawing, using the village and the surrounding area as inspiration to create the works for his first exhibition at the Robin Gibson Gallery in Sydney in October 1979, followed by a Paris show the following March at Krief-Raymond, a new and progressive gallery where on first view, his intricate and delicate drawings labeled as "pencil paintings" looked out of place. Galleria Forni in Italy then gave Peter access to exhibitions all over the world. Before moving to Paris, he went to study painting with Ricardo Tommasi Ferroni in Rome.

Over the years, Peter has gradually adapted and modified his initial classical training, bringing to light his unique style; a natural feel and eye for the relationship of an object to it surroundings, the light and the shadow, what the Japanese call "Chabana".

As always, full of curiosity and the unquenchable thirst for knowledge and wisdom, Peter has continued to travel all over the world on a regular basis, visiting countless countries and peoples, and now divides his time between France, Australia, and America.

Maria Iida Perry


PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS

2006 Spectrum Gallery. London. England
2003 Royden Prior Gallery. Winsor. England
2002 Aggie Hendrikx Fine Art. Roermond. Holland
Gallery Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland
2001 Libby Edwards Gallery. Melbourne. Australia
2000 Kunsthandal Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland.
1998 Murdoch & Barcalay. Melbourne. Australia
Robin Gibson Gallery. Sydney. Australia
1997 Kunsthandal Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland
Louis Stern Fine Arts. Los Angeles. USA
1995 Robin Gibson Gallery. Sydney. Australia
1994 Galerie Catherine Fernet. Brussels. Belgium
1993 Galerie Marie-Jane Garoche. Paris. France
1992 Galerie Catherine Fernet. Brussels. Belgium
1991 Louis Stern Galleries. Los Angeles. USA
1990 Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1988 Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1986 Studio Steffanoni. Milan. Italy
1985 Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
Galleria Il Sigillo. Padova. Italy
1984 Galleria Forni. Bologna. Italy
1983 Galleria Il Narciso. Rome. Italy
Galleria Davico. Turin. Italy
Galleria Astrolabio. Messina. Italy
1982 Galleria Melozzo. Forli. Italy
Galleria La Banchetta. Bari. Italy
1981 Gallery Forni. Amsterdam. Holland
Galleria del Naviglio. Milan. Italy
1980 Galerie Krief-Ramond. Paris. France
Galerie Saint-Nicolas. Auxerre. France
1979 Robin Gibson Gallery. Sydney. Australia

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS

2006 London Art Fair. Spectrum Fine Art. England
Madrid Art Fair. Spectrum Fine Art. Spain.
2004 Royden Prior Gallery. Winsor. England
2003 Aggie Hendrikx Fine Art. Roermond. Holland
2002 Pieter Breughel Gallery. Amsterdam. Holland
2001 Libby Edwards Gallery. Sydney. Australia
2000 Aggie Hendrikx Fine Art. Roermond. Holland.
Pieter Breughel Art Gallery. Amsterdam. Holland
Access Gallery. Melbourne. Australia.
1998 Aggie Hendrikx Fine Art. Roermond. Holland.
1997 "Real. Is it? Moderm and Comtemporary Realism" Louis Stern Fine Arts. Los Angeles. USA
1996 Kunsthandal Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland
Editions Galleries. Melbourne. Australia.
1995 Kunsthandal Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland
1994 "Maitres et Artistes Suisse et Francais"
Galerie du Chene. Lausanne. Switzerland
XXVIII Prix International d'Art Contemporain de Monte-Carlo Winner. Prix de Ville de Monaco
Kunsthandal Pieter Breughel. Amsterdam. Holland.
1993 Galerie Catherine Fernet. Brussels. Belgium
1992 Galerie Contrast. Lille. France
Galerie du Chene. Lausanne.Switzerland
Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1991 "Swiss and French Masters of the 19th & 20th Century"
Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
"Perspectives on Realism. 1950-1991"
Louis Stern Galleries. Los Angeles. USA
World Art Gallery. Tokyo. Japan
1990 "Works on Paper 1970-1990" Louis Stern Galleries. Los Angeles. USA
1989 Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1988 "Paris Realists" Galleria Davico. Turin. Italy
1987 FIAC. Galleria Forni. Grand Palais. Paris. France
Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1986 Stockholm Art Fair. Galleria Forni. Sweden
Madrid Art Fair. Galleria Forni. Spain
New York Art Fair. Galleria Forni. USA
Los Angeles Art Fair. Galleria Forni. USA
FIAC. Galleria Forni. Grand Palias. Paris. France
1985 Art 16. Galleria Forni. Basel. Switzerland
FIAC. Galleria Forni. Grand Palias. Paris. France
Galerie Paul Vallotton. Lausanne. Switzerland
1984 International Contempory Art Fair. Galleria Forni. London.
Art 15. Galleria Forni. Basel. Switzerland
FIAC Galleria Forni. Grand Palias. Paris. France
1983 Galleria della Scudo. Verona. Italy
Galleria Il Narciso. Rome. Italy
Art Fiera. Galleria Forni. Bologna. Italy
FIAC. Galleria Forni. Grand Palais. Paris. France
Galleria Davico. Turin. Italy
1982 Fiera Internationale d'Art Contemporain. Galleria Forni. Bari. Italy
Art 13. Galleria Forni. Basel. Switzerland
Galleria Il Narcisco. Rome. Italy
Studio Steffanoni. Milan. Italy
1981 Gallery International. Stockholm. Sweden
Konsthall Museum. Landskrona. Sweden
Galerie Krief-Raymond. Paris. France
Salon de Montrouge. Paris. France
Galerie Madelaine. Grenoble. France
"13 Artistes" Hotel de Ville. Paris. France
1980 "Actualities du Dessin" Maison de la Culture. Grenoble. France
Biennale International du Touquet. Le Touquet. France
Salon de Montrouge. Paris. France
Galerie Krief-Raymond. Paris. France
FIAC .Galerie Krief-Raymond. Grand Palias. Paris. France
1979 "Travaux sur Papier" Centre Culturel Municipal. Villesparisis. France
FIAC. Galerie Krief-Raymond. Grand Palias. Paris. France
Galerie Saint-Nicholas. Auxerre. France
1978 Galerie Krief-Raymond. Paris. France