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Peter Lord (born 1948)[1] is an English sculptor and art historian based in Wales. He is best known for his books[2] and television programmes about the history of Welsh art, and is regarded as a leading authority on the subject.[3] Critic Andrew Green has said that The Visual Culture of Wales, Lord's three-volume series published by University of Wales Press, "restored to Wales a narrative of visual art that had been lost or denied for decades".[4]
Lord was born in Exeter and his early art education came from sculptor Peter Thursby. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Reading, graduating in 1970 and moving to Wales in 1975.[5] He worked as a sculptor and painter until 1986, when he began writing. One of his most notable works as a sculptor is the Hywel Dda Centre at Whitland.[6][5] He also designed the chapel of St Padarn at St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr, between 1985 and 1988.[7]
During his residence in Wales, Lord has learned to speak the Welsh language and now writes and broadcasts in both English and Welsh.[8] In 1999 he wrote and presented a seven-part series for BBC Wales, entitled The Big Picture.[9] His 2016 publication, The Tradition, has been described as "the first account of the history of Welsh art for over half a century.[10]
Lord, an independent scholar, curator and collector, has held Research Fellowships at Swansea University[11] and at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in Aberystwyth.[12] He was also Visiting Fellow at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1994), where he occasionally lectures.[13]
