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Peter Beard Black and White Photography

American, 1938-2020

Reckless, uninhibited and brazen, photographer Peter Beard was, as The Washington Post put it, “as wild as the animals he photographed.” Beard produced some of the most beautiful images of wildlife ever captured on film.

Beard was born in 1938 in New York City. His great-grandfather was James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railway. As a child, he spent his summers at his grandmother’s Tuxedo Park estate, where she gave him his first camera, a Voightländer. He used it to take pictures to accompany his diaries; Beard was a keen diarist throughout his life, amassing more than 100 volumes. At the age of 17, he took a life-changing trip to Africa with Quentin Keynes, Charles Darwin’s great-grandson, using his Voightländer to photograph wildlife.

After attending prestigious private schools such as Buckley and Pomfret, Beard entered Yale University in 1957 as a pre-med student. However, he soon turned his attention toward art, studying under architectural historian Vincent Scully, German artist Josef Albers and painter Richard Lindner. He graduated in 1961 with a degree in art history.

In the 1960s, Beard returned to Africa, where he met Out of Africa author Karen Blixen. Enamored by the continent’s natural beauty, he purchased Hog Ranch near Blixen’s coffee plantation in Kenya. While there, he received a special dispensation from President Uhuru Kenyatta to film, photograph and document the flora and wildlife at Tsavo National Park. This led to The End of the Game, published in 1965, which documented the demise of more than 35,000 starving elephants and 5,000 black rhinos. 

Beard became renowned for his black-and-white and color photography, figurative photos and landscapes. He exhibited around the world, including at New York’s Blum Helman Gallery in 1975, the International Center of Photography in Manhattan in 1977, the Centre National de la Photographie in Paris in 1996 and Guild Hall in East Hampton in 2016. 

Beard died in 2020 at the age of 82. His works remain in demand with collectors.

On 1stDibs, find original Peter Beard photography, mixed media work and prints.

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Artist: Peter Beard
Peter Beard - Elephant's Embryo, Uganda, Platinum Print- Unsigned
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Elephant's Embryo, Uganda Peter Beard/Unsigned The original photograph "unsigned" but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eye...
Category

1960s Contemporary Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

"Avril Crosby" Mixed Media Black And White Photography, Silver Gelatin Print
By Peter Beard
Located in New York, NY
This work is signed, titled, dated, and variously inscribed with ink by the artist on recto. "Avril Crosby (from Yale Bowl 1958) to 133 E. 80th Street roof top 1959." Artwork Dimens...
Category

1950s Contemporary Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Ink, Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Black and White Photograph of One Year old Gorilla in Rwanda Before the Genocide
By Peter Beard
Located in Brookville, NY
This black and white photograph by Peter Beard, measures 40"x60" unframed, it measures 48" 3/4 x 76" framed. It is printed on platinum paper by W.Ingram signed in pencil by the artist, Peter Beard. This is an A/P from an edition of 15 Exhibited Nassau Co Museum of Art 2016 -2017 Illustrated in Peter Beards Book...
Category

1980s Naturalistic Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White

Peter Beard - Elephant's Embryo, Uganda, Platinum Print- Unsigned
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Elephant's Embryo, Uganda Peter Beard/Unsigned The original photograph "unsigned" but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning, and many others. Image size: 16 in. H x 20 in. W Platinum print Peter Hill...
Category

1960s Contemporary Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

I'll write whenever I can..., 1965
By Peter Beard
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer
Category

1960s Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

Peter Beard - Charge Déléphant/Unsigned
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Charge Déléphant Elephant reaching for the last branch on a tree, Kenya, 1965 Peter Beard/Unsigned The original photograph unsigned but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning and many others. Image size: 19½ in. H x 13 3/8 in. W Sheet size: 20 in. H x 16 in. W Platinum print Peter Hill...
Category

1960s Contemporary Peter Beard Black and White Photography

Materials

Platinum

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Elephants Walking Through Grass, Amboseli – Nick Brandt, Elephants, Photography
By Nick Brandt
Located in Zurich, CH
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Previously Available Items
Rwanda Skull After the Genocide of the Mountain Gorillas in Africa Photograph
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Peter Beard - Beyond Gauguin Night Giraffe Feeding - Framed/Unsigned
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Cheetah Cubs at Mweiga nr Nyeri, Kenya, 1968
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Attributed to Peter Beard- original photograph unsigned but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning and many others. Cheetah Cubs...
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Large Tusker, Black and White Nature Photography of Elephant in Kenya, Africa
By Peter Beard
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Large tusker "Elephant" photograph by Peter Beard - 9” x 13.5” — is a signed gelatin silver photograph and dedicated ("greetings @xmas 1990 from Peter Beard), top of photo (left cor...
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"Beyond Gauguin", Night Giraffe Feeding
By Peter Beard
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Attributed to Peter Beard- original photograph unsigned but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning and many others.print Maureen Gallagher Late Night Feeder, 1987 Gelatin silver print size image 13 3/8in. x 19½ sheet: each 16in.20 x 1 25.5 x 31 in. framed ____________________________ Peter Hill...
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Cheetah Cubs at Mweiga nr Nyeri, Kenya, 1968
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Peter Beard - The Death of Elephants in Tsavo Park, Platinum Print/Unsigned
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The Death of Elephants in Tsavo Park 1971 - 1972 Peter Beard/Unsigned The original photograph unsigned but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning and many others. Image size: 20 in. H x 16 in. W Platinum print Peter Hill...
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2010s Contemporary Peter Beard Black and White Photography

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Peter Beard - Francis Bacon at 80 Narrow Street, London, Unsigned
By Peter Beard
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Francis Bacon at 80 Narrow Street, London, March 1972 Peter Beard/Unsigned The original photograph unsigned but documented by its inclusion in "Peter Beard - Fifty Years of Portraits, The End of the Game, Eyelids of Morning, and many others. Image size: 19½ in. H x 13 3/8 in. W Sheet size: 20 in. H x 16 in. W Platinum print Peter Hill...
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Peter Beard - Charge Déléphant/Unsigned
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Located in Miami Beach, FL
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Peter Beard black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Peter Beard black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Peter Beard in platinum print, ink, silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Peter Beard black and white photography, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of George Dureau, George Krause, and Rachel Berkowitz. Peter Beard black and white photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $5,000 and tops out at $150,000, while the average work can sell for $30,000.
Questions About Peter Beard Black and White Photography
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Peter Beard was known for his work as a photographer. Over the course of his career, he captured numerous photographs of endangered African animals that appeared in major publications. He died in the spring of 2020. Shop a collection of Peter Beard art on 1stDibs.

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