Peter Howson

A contemporary Scottish artist and leading figure of the Scottish figurative painting movement of the 1980s, Peter Howson was born in London to Scottish parents and moved with his family to Prestwick, Ayrshire at the age of four. He studied at Glasgow School of Art alongside fellow students Steven Campbell, Ken Currie and Adrian Wiszniewski, before serving in the army and returning to complete a Masters.

He became known for his visceral depictions of men caught in contradictory states, painted in monumental scale with a raw, fleshy realism influenced by his interest in German Expressionism. Drawing from his own life, he channelled firsthand experiences with mental illness and personal struggle through haunting imagery that confronts the human condition head on. 

He notably served as Britain's official war artist during the 1993 Bosnian Civil War, travelling and documenting the horrors of armed conflict. His work is held in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York, the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum in London.