We are proud to be hosting War Faces: Peter McIntyre, an online exhibition dedicated to the artwork of official WWII war artist Peter McIntyre. 

Born in Dunedin in 1910, Peter McIntyre later studied at the Slade School of Art in London. At the outbreak of WWII, McIntyre enlisted in the 34th Anti-tank Battery, a New Zealand unit formed in London, before being sent to Egypt as a gunner.

Soon, McIntyre’s ability as an artist caught the eye of Major General Freyberg, who promoted him to Lieutenant and made him the official war artist of 2NZEF. Although Freyberg initially directed McIntyre to paint formal portraits of senior officers, McIntyre sketched and recorded active combat, completing a large volume of artworks that captured the realities of World War II. McIntyre was also responsible for making posters, designing Christmas cards, and assisting with anything that needed painting. McIntyre covered the campaigns in Greece, Crete, the Western Desert, Tripolitani, Tunisia, and Italy. It was at the latter, at Cassino, that he was promoted to the rank of Major.

After the war, and back in New Zealand, McIntyre enjoyed a long career as an artist. His work was made popular through several publications about his work, including Peter McIntyre: War Artist (1981), which features works seen here in this exhibition. In 1970, McIntyre was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to art and publishing.

War artists provide an illustrative first-hand record of the experience of war, adding both a visual and sensory dimension often missing from the written accounts. The position of official New Zealand war artist was established in World War I. Both World War I and World War II each had four official New Zealand war artists. In recent years, the title of war artist was changed to Army artist which better reflected their role to record the work of the New Zealand Defence Force. Archives New Zealand is the official repository for work produced by war and Army artists. However, the National Army Museum holds a small suite of works by Peter McIntyre that were gifted by individuals, or copies McIntyre made of his originals and later gifted by him to the Museum.

This exhibition showcases McIntyre’s ability at formal and informal portraiture. He was very able at capturing a good likeness, which was traditionally the true measure of a good portraitist. Below is a photograph of Peter McIntyre painting Lieutenant Colonel Vida Jowett OBE’s portrait. This painting is included in the exhibition. 

The exhibition was curated by Dr Penelope Jackson MNZM, Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia.

Featured Image: Photograph of Lieutenant Colonel Vida Jowett OBE sitting for her portrait by Peter McIntyre OBE, National Army Museum Te Mata Toa 2002_337.