PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
ARTISTS
Peter Beard was an American photographer, diarist, and artist whose practice intertwined images, writing, and collage. He began keeping diaries at the age of eleven, and after discovering photography, integrated his images into richly layered visual journals.
Inspired by Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, Beard first traveled to Africa in 1955, developing a lifelong connection to the continent. He photographed its wildlife and landscapes extensively, later incorporating the prints into collages made with newspaper clippings, drawings, found objects, and even natural materials such as leaves, insects, and animal blood. These works chronicle his personal relationships with Africa, Blixen, the New York art world, fashion and cinema circles, as well as broader cultural and political events.
Beard studied at Yale University, beginning in pre-medicine before shifting to art history. His first major exhibition took place at Blum Helman Gallery in 1975. After meeting Blixen in Denmark, he purchased a 43-acre property near her former home in Kenya, at the foot of the Ngong Hills. He named it Hog Ranch, which became both a residence and a creative base for much of his later work.