Peter Biegel was one of the foremost sporting painters of the twentieth century. His passion for racing and hunting informed his understanding of sporting subjects. Born in Hertfordshire and educated at Downside, he initially began a career working for his father in the city before deciding to enroll at Lucy Kemp Welch's school of animal painting in Bushey. His studies took an unexpected pause when he served in the Wiltshire regiment during the Second World War. Subsequently, he worked in Northern Ireland as a claims officer before returning to art and sharing a studio with renowned sporting artist Lionel Edwards. Paintings by Biegel are held in the collections of the Yale Center for British Art and 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards Heritage Trust.