St Peregrine

British painter Peregrine Heathcote creates narrative scenes set in the Jazz Age. His statuesque women and stylish men, frequently appearing alongside Art Deco-era trains or cars in the golden light of late afternoons, are on the move. Heathcote’s oil paintings burst with color and conjure a long-gone world of glamour and intrigue.

Heathcote initially established himself as a portrait artist. In the mid-1990s, after studying at Heatherley School of Fine Art and the Florence Academy of Fine Arts, he secured commissions for portraits of royalty, celebrities and other high-profile subjects. He has since begun to draw on his past in order to create work that is both nostalgic and contemporary.

Heathcote was born in London. His father was an antiques dealer specializing in militaria. As a result, his childhood home was stacked with collectible arms, weaponry and relics from various historical battles. Heathcote’s mother was fond of fashion, and the artist amassed a collection of vintage hats from around the world. His bedroom walls were adorned with textiles from Asia and the Middle East. Heathcote’s parents moved to Dubai in the early 1970s, and he spent his time playing with children of sheiks.

Returning to England at age 8, Heathcote took summertime classes at Heatherly in printmaking and nude drawing — he is the youngest student to have attended the school. Later, he studied at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy. He pursued a career as a painter and began painting members of royal families such as Prince Jeffrey of Brunei and the Duke and Duchess of St Albans.

Not satisfied with a life of portraiture but continuing to work in a realist style, Heathcote now draws on his fondness for a bygone era in his travel-focused work. His inspiration comes from the journeys of his youth, his father’s love of antiques, his mother’s love of fashion and his grandfather’s exploits as a test pilot in the Royal Air Force.

Heathcote has collaborated with Ralph Lauren and has participated in group and solo exhibitions in London and in cities all over the United States.

Find Peregrine Heathcote paintings on 1stDibs.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract, landscape and still-life paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs. Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel. Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color?

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by popular artists and more today.