Skip to main content

Peter Beard Decorative Objects

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.

to
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
Height
to
2
2
2
10
1,364
736
493
478
Creator: Peter Beard
Blue Ceramic Vase, Peter Beard
By Peter Beard
Located in New York, NY
Vase, 2018, (Ceramic, C. 11 in. h x 8.5 in. d, Object No.: 4146).
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Unique Ceramic Vase by Peter Beard
By Peter Beard
Located in New York, NY
Peter Beard vase Impressed artist's signature to underside. Unique
Category

21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Related Items
Italian Bitossi Flavia Blue Ceramic Elephant
By Bitossi
Located in Stamford, CT
1995 Italian Bitossi Flavia blue ceramic elephant figurine. Blue crackle ceramic finish with green accents. Retains brand sticker and brand stamp on the underside.
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Sculptural Ceramic Vase
Located in Antwerp, BE
A monumental shaped ceramic vase in various beautiful colors and patterns. Measures: Height 43 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Sculptural Ceramic Vase
Sculptural Ceramic Vase
$838 Sale Price
66% Off
H 16.93 in W 6.3 in D 5.12 in
Modernist Vase Sculpture Peter Müller for Sgrafo Modern, Germany, 1970
By Sgrafo Modern
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Op art element vase with abstract floral illustrations Origin: Germany Produder: Sgrafo Modern Design: Peter Müler Material: Pottery stoneware Age: 1970s Original 1970s sculptural op art object designed by Peter Müller...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

"Cat", Ceramic Vase by Pol Chambost
By Pol Chambost
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
A blue glazed ceramic vase or "bouquetière" figuring a cat. Pol Chambost (1906-1983), signed. France, circa 1960 Pol Chambost created a series of animal figures using the same "Rim...
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

"Cat", Ceramic Vase by Pol Chambost
"Cat", Ceramic Vase by Pol Chambost
$1,630
H 5.91 in W 7.88 in D 5.91 in
Ceramic FISH VASE Rimini Blue Design by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, Italy 1960s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Ceramic vases fish abstract fish ilustration in rimini blue Design: Aldo Londi Producer: Bitossi, Italy Decade: 1960s Material: Ceramic   This original vin...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Studio Ceramic Ikebana Vase
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A unique piece of ceramic art that also serves as a vessel. It features a textured ochre glaze and a 'U' shape with two openings that are connected at the bottom. Perfect for Ikebana...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Studio Ceramic Ikebana Vase
Studio Ceramic Ikebana Vase
$975
H 8.25 in W 5 in D 2.25 in
Peter Bramhall Magenta, Blue Glass Orb
By Peter Bramhall
Located in New York, NY
Spectacular mouth blown glass orb sculpture with internal magenta and petrol blue glass threads. Signed on bottom, Peter Bramhall.
Category

20th Century American Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Art Glass

Peter Bramhall Magenta, Blue Glass Orb
Peter Bramhall Magenta, Blue Glass Orb
$1,895
H 10 in W 10 in D 10 in
1960s W. Germany Ceramic Vase
Located in High Point, NC
This ceramic vase was made in Germany, circa 1960. It was produced during the period of West German Pottery, a postwar ceramics style known for its expressive nature and experimentat...
Category

1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

1960s W. Germany Ceramic Vase
1960s W. Germany Ceramic Vase
$495
H 15.4 in W 7.5 in D 7.5 in
White glazed ceramic vase vase by Primavera, circa 1930.
By Primavera
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
White glazed ceramic vase vase by Primavera. Artist signature under the base. Circa 1930. H : 14.9 x 12.9 inches.
Category

20th Century French Art Deco Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Early Peter Voulkus Ceramic Vase
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Chicago, IL
Early Peter Voulkus ceramic vase early 1960'd [unsigned].
Category

1960s American Brutalist Vintage Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Early Peter Voulkus Ceramic Vase
Early Peter Voulkus Ceramic Vase
$4,725
H 8.25 in Dm 9.5 in
Ceramic Vase
Located in Antwerp, BE
Ceramic vase with flowers. Measures: Diameter 30 cm, height 19 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Vase
Ceramic Vase
$844
H 7.49 in Dm 11.82 in
'Belmont' Ceramic Mug Sculpture by Peter Shire, 2016
By Peter Shire
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Glazed Whiteware ceramic mug sculpture by Peter Shire, 2016. Approx: 8 3/4" high x 13" wide x 23" long (to handle). Peter Shire: Peter Shire is an LA-based artist whose work elu...
Category

2010s American Post-Modern Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Previously Available Items
Peter Beard Bronze Glazed Funnel Studio Vase 20th Century
By Peter Beard
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish and unusual studio ceramic vase of funnel shape with a ring and prunt designs to the neck decorated in golden brown bronze glazes over a lightly textured surface by highly ...
Category

Late 20th Century English Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Pottery

Two Vases by Peter Beard
By Peter Beard
Located in New York, NY
Impressed with artist's initials to underside.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary British Peter Beard Decorative Objects

Materials

Ceramic

Two Vases by Peter Beard
Two Vases by Peter Beard
H 9.5 in Dm 6.5 in

Peter Beard decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.

Peter Beard decorative objects are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Peter Beard decorative objects, although blue editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original decorative objects by Peter Beard were created in the modern style in united kingdom during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative objects by Dilmos Edizioni, Bruce McLean, and Tino Seubert. Prices for Peter Beard decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,314 and can go as high as $4,930, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,957.
Questions About Peter Beard Decorative Objects
  • 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.

Recently Viewed

View All