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Bob Peak

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Bob Peak
Born(1927-05-30)May 30, 1927
Denver,Colorado, United States
DiedAugust 1, 1992(1992-08-01)(aged 65)
United States
Alma materWichita State University
OccupationIllustrator
SpouseLucille Peak

Robert M. Peak(May 30, 1927 – August 1, 1992) was an Americancommercial illustrator.He is best known for his developments in the design of the modernfilm poster.[1]

Hisartworkhas been on the cover ofTimemagazine,TV Guide,andSports Illustrated.He also illustrated advertisements and U.S. postage stamps.[citation needed]

Early life

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Bob Peak was born inDenver,Colorado, and grew up inWichita, Kansas.He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a commercial illustrator. He majored in geology at the University of Wichita (nkaWichita State University) and got a part-time job in the art department of McCormick-Armstrong. After serving in the military during theKorean War,Peak transferred to theArt Center College of Designin Los Angeles, California, graduating in 1951.[citation needed]

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]

He was the father of Matthew Peak, who is best known for illustrating posters for theNightmare on Elm Streetfilm series.[2]

Career

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United Artistsstudio hired Peak in 1961 to design the poster images for the filmWest Side Story.The success of Peak's work on that film led to work on posters for designerBill Gold,including the big-budget musicalsMy Fair LadyandCamelot.In the mid-1970s, Peak's style would become familiar to fans ofscience fiction filmswhen he created the poster art for the futuristic filmRollerball(1975), which was followed by the first fiveStar Trekfilms,Superman(1978),Excalibur(1981), bothDerek Flintfilms,Apocalypse Now(1979),The Spy Who Loved Meand otherJames Bondconcepts.[3]By the 1980s, only the film poster artistDrew Struzanwas in as much demand by film directors.[citation needed]

Peak received a commission from theU.S. Postal Serviceto design 30 stamps for the1984 Summer Olympicsin Los Angeles and the1984 Winter OlympicsinSarajevo,Yugoslavia.[citation needed]

From January 20 through April 17, 2011, theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencespresented the "Bob Peak: Creating the Modern Movie Poster" exhibit at its headquarters building in Beverly Hills.[4]

Peak taught in his own college and later atArt Students League of New York,Pratt InstituteandFamous Artists School.[citation needed]

Illustrations

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Awards

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In 1961, Peak was named Artist of the Year by theGraphic Artists GuildNew York chapter.[6]He won eight Awards of Excellence and four gold medals fromSociety of Illustrators.In 1977, the Society of Illustrators inducted him to its Hall of Fame.The Hollywood Reporterpresented him the 1992 Key Art Award, now known as theClio Entertainment Awards.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Lambert, Bruce (August 6, 1992)."Robert Peak, Designer of Stamps And Film Posters, Is Dead at 64".The New York Times.
  2. ^"About".February 10, 2010.
  3. ^"Illustrated 007 - the Art of James Bond".
  4. ^Bob Peak: Creating the Modern Movie PosterArchivedDecember 9, 2010, at theWayback Machine,Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, February 2011
  5. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajKennedy, Adam (May 8, 2019)."The Artists - The Movie Posters of Bob Peak".Art of the Movies.Archivedfrom the original on December 27, 2023.RetrievedDecember 26,2023.
  6. ^Lambert, Bruce (August 6, 1992)."Robert Peak, Designer of Stamps And Film Posters, Is Dead at 64".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 24,2022.
  7. ^"Movies - Los Angeles Times".Los Angeles Times.June 29, 1992.RetrievedApril 24,2022.
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