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Bob Peak

{{refimprove|date=December 2023}}

{{short description|American illustrator}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Bob Peak

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|5|30}}

| birth_place = Denver, Colorado, United States

| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|8|1|1927|5|30}}

| death_place = United States

| alma_mater = Wichita State University

| occupation = Illustrator

| spouse = Lucille Peak

}}

Robert M. Peak (May 30, 1927 – August 1, 1992) was an American commercial illustrator. He is best known for his developments in the design of the modern film poster.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/06/arts/robert-peak-designer-of-stamps-and-film-posters-is-dead-at-64.html|work=The New York Times|title=Robert Peak, Designer of Stamps And Film Posters, Is Dead at 64|first=Bruce|last=Lambert|date=August 6, 1992}}

His artwork has been on the cover of Time magazine, TV Guide, and Sports Illustrated. He also illustrated advertisements and U.S. postage stamps.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

Early life

Bob Peak was born in Denver, Colorado, and grew up in Wichita, Kansas. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a commercial illustrator. He majored in geology at the University of Wichita (nka Wichita State University) and got a part-time job in the art department of McCormick-Armstrong. After serving in the military during the Korean War, Peak transferred to the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California, graduating in 1951.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

In 1953, Peak moved to New York City and landed an Old Hickory Whiskey advertising campaign. His work went on to appear in major advertising and national magazines.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

He was the father of Matthew Peak, who is best known for illustrating posters for the Nightmare on Elm Street film series.{{Cite web|url=http://matthewpeak.com/about|title = About|date = February 10, 2010}}

Career

United Artists studio hired Peak in 1961 to design the poster images for the film West Side Story. The success of Peak's work on that film led to work on posters for designer Bill Gold, including the big-budget musicals My Fair Lady and Camelot. In the mid-1970s, Peak's style would become familiar to fans of science fiction films when he created the poster art for the futuristic film Rollerball (1975), which was followed by the first five Star Trek films, Superman (1978), Excalibur (1981), both Derek Flint films, Apocalypse Now (1979), The Spy Who Loved Me and other James Bond concepts.{{Cite web|url=http://illustrated007.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Artist%3A%20Bob%20Peak|title = Illustrated 007 - the Art of James Bond}} By the 1980s, only the film poster artist Drew Struzan was in as much demand by film directors.{{Citation needed | date=April 2011}}

Peak received a commission from the U.S. Postal Service to design 30 stamps for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

From January 20 through April 17, 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented the "Bob Peak: Creating the Modern Movie Poster" exhibit at its headquarters building in Beverly Hills.[http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/exhibitions/2011/01/peak.html Bob Peak: Creating the Modern Movie Poster] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209152352/http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/exhibitions/2011/01/peak.html |date=December 9, 2010 }}, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, February 2011

Peak taught in his own college and later at Art Students League of New York, Pratt Institute and Famous Artists School.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

Illustrations

Awards

In 1961, Peak was named Artist of the Year by the Graphic Artists Guild New York chapter.{{Cite news|title=Robert Peak, Designer of Stamps And Film Posters, Is Dead at 64|work=The New York Times|date=August 6, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/06/arts/robert-peak-designer-of-stamps-and-film-posters-is-dead-at-64.html|access-date=April 24, 2022|language=en-US|last1=Lambert |first1=Bruce }} He won eight Awards of Excellence and four gold medals from Society of Illustrators. In 1977, the Society of Illustrators inducted him to its Hall of Fame. The Hollywood Reporter presented him the 1992 Key Art Award, now known as the Clio Entertainment Awards.{{Cite web|title=Movies - Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-29-ca-857-story.html|access-date=April 24, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|date=June 29, 1992 |language=en-US}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{official|http://bobpeak.net/}}
  • {{IMDb name|10480952}}
  • {{cite web|url=http://www.americanartarchives.com/peak,b.htm|title=Bob Peak: (1928 - 1992)|publisher=American Art Archives|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117053958/http://www.americanartarchives.com/peak,b.htm}}
  • {{cite web|url=http://sanguinfineart.com|title=Sanguin Fine Art Gallery|publisher=Welcome to the Sanguin Fine Art Gallery|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-date=February 1, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201202100/http://sanguinfineart.com/gallery/}}

{{Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peak, Bob}}

Category:1927 births

Category:1992 deaths

Category:20th-century American male artists

Category:20th-century American illustrators

Category:Film poster artists

Category:Wichita State University alumni

Category:Artists from Denver

Category:Artists from Wichita, Kansas

Category:American military personnel of the Korean War

Category:ArtCenter College of Design alumni