Peter Blake’s studio will be brought to life inside Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery this winter, as a major exhibition traces the artist’s seven-decade career through the lens of where it all happens: the studio.
Opening 25th November 2026, Peter Blake: In the Studio offers a rare, immersive look at one of Britain’s most influential artists, recreating his working environment inside the historic West London site just a short distance from his long-time base in Hammersmith.
At the centre of the exhibition is a full-scale reconstruction of Blake’s studio — a space dense with objects, references and personal memorabilia that have shaped his practice over the years. Visitors are invited to step directly into this environment, encountering not only the works themselves but the world that produced them.
Spanning painting, collage, sculpture and works on paper, the exhibition reflects Blake’s enduring fascination with popular culture and the visual language of both Britain and America. From early Pop works of the 1960s through to recent pieces, the show positions Blake as a defining figure in British art, whose imagery continues to resonate across generations.
Blake first emerged in the early 1960s alongside artists including David Hockney, gaining wider attention through Ken Russell’s BBC film Pop Goes the Easel. His place in cultural history was cemented with the design for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — created with Jann Haworth — one of the most iconic album covers of the 20th century.
The exhibition also roots Blake firmly in West London. From his early years in Chiswick to his long-standing presence in the area, local cultural history threads through the show, from the music scene of The Ealing Club to the legacy of Ealing Studios. Blake’s identity as both artist and collector — a self-described “superfan” — becomes a key lens through which to view his work.
There is also a dialogue with the history of Pitzhanger itself. Several works reference William Hogarth, whose A Rake’s Progress once hung in the house under its original owner Sir John Soane. Blake’s responses to Marriage A La Mode and Gin Lane will be displayed in the same rooms, creating a conversation across centuries.
From early Pop imagery to recent collages, Peter Blake: In the Studio offers an unusually intimate portrait of an artist whose work has shaped the visual culture of modern Britain — seen not just through finished works, but through the space, objects and influences that continue to inform them.
As Rebecca Lyons, Director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, says:
“It is an honour and a privilege for Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery to host the work of such a legend in British art. Full of art historical and pop references, the works are a celebration of art making and artistic inspiration, and the show itself a tribute to one of the most iconic artists in Britain today.”
Peter Blake: In the Studio is curated by Jake Twyford and Louise Shorr and runs from 25th November 2026 to 4th April 2027 at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
