As the world marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Kent artist who was responsible for the iconic album cover is holding an exhibition in the county, at Whitstable.

Dartford-born Sir Peter Blake is widely regarded as the Godfather of British pop art.

Born in the town in 1932, Blake has been a pop artist since the late 1950s, and has also worked with other famous names in the music world such as Paul Weller, Eric Clapton and Madness.

The show will feature a combination of new limited edition releases and rarer older prints by him, as well as showcasing his use of mixed media and collage.

Alongside the gallery show, the exhibition will be joined by the CCA Art Bus – a mobile work by Peter, and a mobile art gallery, which he designed in a pop art style, with the aim of creating a rock ’n’ roll tour bus for art.

Chappell Gallery owner Paula Chappell said: “To host this show in Whitstable is an amazing honour. This will be the biggest event to happen in the gallery and we are so proud to announce this collaboration with CCA. I believe the show is important not just for the gallery but for our small town. Whitstable will be playing host to Britain’s most iconic pop artist working in the UK today.”

The Chappell Contemporary Art Gallery in Whitstable, owned by Wimbledon School of Art Graduate Paula Chappell, showcases work by established artists as well as emerging young talent, whose work is exhibited and sold both in the UK and internationally.

DETAILS

The Peter Blake Print Exhibition runs until Sunday, June 18, at Chappell Contemporary Art Gallery, Oxford Street, Whitstable. It is sponsored by Canterbury-based Herringbone Kitchens. For details go to chappellcontemporary.com