Peter Darach (1940–2023) was a British painter known for his expressive, figurative works that bridge narrative, memory, and myth. Born in Spondon, Derbyshire, he studied at Derby College of Art and then at the Royal College of Art (1962–1965), where he began developing his distinctive visual language.
Darach’s paintings and works on paper are characterized by large scale, dynamic compositions, rich charcoal washes, and intense colour, often populated by faces and figures that seem to emerge from layered, evocative surfaces. His work reflects an intuitive blending of personal memory, fantasy, and cultural observation, and he acknowledged the influence of Japanese shunga prints on his practice.
He exhibited regularly from the 1960s onwards, including at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and in gallery exhibitions nationwide, and won recognition through awards such as the Jerwood Drawing Prize and entries in the John Moores Painting Prize. Darach is remembered as a compelling voice in British figurative painting, whose work engages with both autobiography and wider human experience.
