Peter Pearson is an artist, author, historian, and conservationist born in 1955 who was raised around the Dún Laoghaire area.

Biography

Pearson was born in 1955, a native Dubliner. He was educated at the institution now known as Newpark Comprehensive School where he was later to return and teach art. He went to read Art History at Trinity College Dublin. He held his first major solo exhibition in Venice in 1978 while studying on an Italian Government painting scholarship. He has also exhibited at Caen. A short

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

seven minute film for ''Youngline'' presented by Teresa Mannion in 1984 showed the artifacts he was amassing in the house in Dublin he was sharing at that time with his brother. Mannion describes him thus: "He’s an ordinary man driven by an extraordinary obsession to record the day to day life of old Dublin". The film also showed him characteristically exploring builders skips for his artifacts collection. In the heritage officer for An Taisce in 1985 claimed that Pearson was responsible the for the co-ordination of their 1985 report the identified the Temple Bar area by name and included a comprehensive historic and architectural inventory which led to its significance being re-evaluated and which led to Charles Haughey initiate a special government project to rehabilitate the area. It was Pearson's interest in old buildings which led him to swing across a moat to

Drimnagh Castle Drimnagh Castle ( ga, Caisleán Dhroimeanaigh) is a Norman castle located in Drimnagh, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is the only remaining castle in Ireland with a flooded moat around it; this moat is fed by a small local river, the Camac. ...

in 1985 and to initiate a multi-agency campaign to stop the demolition of the building and to bring about its restoration. In 1992 Pearson was a joint founder-member of the

Dublin Civic Trust The Dublin Civic Trust is an architectural conservation and educational organisation founded in 1991 that works to identify, record, preserve and publicise Dublin's architectural heritage. The trust also comments and assists to a lesser extent w ...

. He lived at the former

The Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers' Society ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

building near Dublin Castle for ten years. As of 2014, he was living in the

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

countryside, painting about 30 pictures a year in spurts, some of farm animals with hints of surrealism. In October 2015 Bonhams held an exhibition of his Architectural Heritage ''Dublin Fragments'' Collection at their Irish Office.

Bibliography

Works Pearson has authored or co-authored include: * ''Between the Mountains and the Sea, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County'', which provides details of architectural heritage. * ''The Heart of Dublin'', about the development of Dublin's streetscapes. * ''Decorative Dublin'', describing decorative elements found on Dublin streets and buildings. *

Notes

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Peter Irish landscape painters Living people 1955 births Conservation in the Republic of Ireland Georgian architecture in Ireland Irish architectural historians People educated at Newpark Comprehensive School