Peter Gallagher was born in 1956 in the Republic of Ireland. He always had a strong interest in the arts and experimented with different forms all his life. Peter learned to play guitar and played in a few bands initially, before diversifying into experimental and improvised music. Aged 18 he decided to go into acting and headed to Dublin where he found a Stanislavski School at the Focus Theatre.
He was 25 when he took up painting. It seemed like it was waiting for him and he had found a channel to find and tell, strange and inspired stories with colour and form. One of Peter's most well-known paintings is "L’Etranger", which was featured on the cover of the 1993 album "World Gone Wrong" by Bob Dylan. Peter has exhibited his paintings in many cities all over the world, including in London, Oxford, Beijing and Sao Paolo.
More recently he has got involved in making films, almost as a development from painting, where the stories seem to be inspired from the images. In 2017 Peter acted in, narrated, co-wrote, and co-edited the award winning short film "Ghosts on the Old Road to Camalt" which won three awards at Prague, Solaris (Nice) and Vienna Independent Film Festivals. The Director Jason Tovey has become a regular creative collaborator.
In 2019 he was the subject of an arts documentary called Three Scenes from a Wedding which won best documentary at Vienna Independent Film Festival. Directed by Jason Tovey. It focussed on the process of creating a painting which is included in this exhibition. Why Three Scenes? Because halfway through the first iteration Peter was unhappy, turned it on its side and started again using parts of what he had painted before. Still not satisfied he turned it again and the image in this exhibition emerged.
Peter Gallagher has worked as Operations Manager at Lauderdale House Arts Centre since 1997, running concerts, private functions and exhibitions. He supports the many artists who exhibit in the House, and has curated a number of exhibitions from Brazil.
Peter lives in a flat in Lauderdale House and during the lockdown has hung his exhibition in the Lower Gallery to keep him company and ensure the House feels ‘alive’. If you’re walking past during the day and the shutters are open do have a look through the window…always keeping a safe distance from others of course.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2016 Hornsey Town Hall, London
- 2015 Meimen Museum of Art, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
- 2000 to 2015 Lauderdale House.
- 2011 Cultural Institute Century and Art, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- 2010 Sao Caetano, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- 1997 La Brocca Gallery, London.
- 1996 Il Sorrizo’s Gallery, London.
- 1995 Café des Arts London.
- 1995 Bar Room Bar, London.
- 1990 Ellingfort Gallery, Oxford.
- 1990 Freuds Café Gallery, Oxford.
Group Exhibitions
- 2009 Cultural Institute Century and Art, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- 2008 Paecumbo Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- 2005 Society for Art of the Imagination, London.
- 2000 Alchemy Gallery, London, with Ian Hart.
- 1998 Free Painters and Sculptors Soc. Loggia Gallery, London.
