John Piper was one of the most significant British artists of the 20th century. A painter, printmaker, and designer of stained-glass windows, opera, and theatre sets, he is best known for his depictions of the British landscape, particularly churches and historic monuments.
Born in Epsom, Surrey, in 1903, Piper was educated at Epsom College. After his father’s death in 1927, he pursued art studies at the Richmond School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art in London.
In the 1930s, Piper exhibited widely in London and became associated with the Seven and Five Society and the London Group. Influenced by avant-garde artists such as Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, and Barbara Hepworth, he experimented with abstraction and collage.
In 1935, he moved to Fawley Bottom with art critic and librettist Myfanwy Piper, whom he later married. Together they founded the magazine Axis, placing Piper at the forefront of British modernism.
During World War II, he served as an official war artist from 1940 to 1944. His powerful images of bomb-damaged churches, especially Coventry Cathedral, brought him national recognition and secured his place in major public collections.