Peter Yates (19 July 1920 – 16 November 1982) was a British born artist and architect. Yates was best known for his partnership with

Gordon Ryder Gordon Ryder (1919–2000) OBE was a modernist architect and co-founder with Peter Yates of Ryder and Yates, known for designing a number of modernist buildings in the north-east of England in the 1960s. Ryder studied architecture at Newcastle ...

in the North of England architectural firm, Ryder and Yates.

Biography

Early life and education

Peter Yates was born in

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

, East London in 1920. He was attracted to the visual arts at an early age, winning a painting competition in ''Chicks' Own'' in 1925. Whilst at Wanstead School from September 1934 to July 1936, he painted a mural, ''Events at Sea''. Peter worked as a furniture and model maker during 1937 before attending the London Polytechnic School of Architecture, studying under Sir Hubert Bennett, Peter Moro and

Robin Day Sir Robin Day (24 October 1923 – 6 August 2000) was an English political journalist and television and radio broadcaster. Day's obituary in ''The Guardian'' by Dick Taverne stated that he was "the most outstanding television journalist of ...

from January 1938 to April 1941.

Career

War years

Peter Yates served as a fireman on the St Paul's Watch in early 1941, during which he painted Wren's churches during the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. He met the antiquary and architectural historian, Gerald Cobb, while drawing in Ludgate Circus and they became lifelong friends. Peter joined the RAF in July 1941 and was stationed in Wales and Ireland before going to Versailles in 1944 with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces. Peter Yates lived in Paris following the war where he met many artists and writers, including Georges Braque, Édouard Pignon, Jaime Sabartes,

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

, Leon Gischia,

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

Alice Toklas Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein. Early life Alice B. Toklas was born in San F ...

, Andre L'Hote, Sylvia Beach and Le Corbusier.

Early practice

Peter Yates and Clive Entwistle were invited to work on plans for a new UNO building in New York by Le Corbusier. Pyramid Project for the New Crystal Palace with Clive Entwhistle at

Ove Arup Sir Ove Nyquist Arup, CBE, MICE, MIStructE, FCIOB (16 April 1895 – 5 February 1988) was an English engineer who founded Arup Group Limited, a multinational corporation that offers engineering, design, planning, project management, an ...

's office, Soho 1947. Masterplan for

Peterlee Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England. It lies between Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east and Durham to the west. It gained town status in 1948 under the New Towns Act 1946. The act also cre ...

new town with

Berthold Lubetkin Berthold Romanovich Lubetkin (14 December 1901 – 23 October 1990) was a Georgian-British architect who pioneered modernist design in Britain in the 1930s. His work includes the Highpoint housing complex, the Penguin Pool at London Zoo, Fins ...

in 1948 (where Peter Yates first met Gordon Ryder). Peter Yates returned to Paris in 1950 as Chief Designer at ''Unité d’Informations Visuelles'', a commercial art studio located in the Old Alhambra night club in the gardens of the Champs Élysées. From here, he contributed to exhibitions across Europe. These included Europa Zug and Atoms for Peace. (Here, Peter collaborated with from whom Ryder and Yates later commissioned murals for Norgas House, Killingworth).

Ryder and Yates

In 1953, after a chance meeting in London, Peter Yates moved to Newcastle upon Tyne to form an architectural practice with Gordon Ryder. Initial work included exhibition design and soon progressed onto a series of private domestic architectural commissions. A new multidisciplinary approach which included engineers fuelled their progress. Their buildings were highly regarded. Large scale commissions for industrial complexes for British Gas, Sterling Organics and others followed. Social projects in Newcastle and Sunderland for the Salvation Army, a large social housing project in Kenton as well as various local government and healthcare projects. Ryder and Yates' extensive portfolio of acclaimed buildings won numerous architectural awards over the following three decades from their inception in 1953. 'Ryder and Yates were Lubetkin's sole professional heirs – a legacy mutually recognised – and their work is a compelling reminder of Lubetkin's lesson that the poetic and the rational were inextricable impulses in modern architecture's original vision.' John Allan, Director of Avanti Architects. A book about Ryder and Yates was published as part of the RIBA 20th Century Architects series. Notable Ryder and Yates buildings include: *R H Patterson Ford Dealer, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1964 *North Kenton Housing Scheme (subsequently known as the Kenton Bar Estate), Newcastle upon Tyne, 1964 *Norgas House, Killingworth, 1965 *Engineering Gas Research Station (ERS), 1967 *The Citadel, Killingworth, 1967 *Sterling Organics, Dudley, 1972 *Northern Gas Computer Centre, Killingworth, 1974 *Salvation Army 'Men's Palace', Newcastle upon Tyne, 1974 *MEA House, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1976 *The On-line Inspection Centre (OLI), Cramlington, 1979 *Studio 5, Tyne Tees Television, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1981 *Salvation Army, Sunderland, 1982 *Vickers, Newcastle and Leeds, 1982

Marriage and children

Peter Yates married musician Helen Maud Southgate from New Zealand in 1958 and had five children. Helen died in 1972. Peter married his second wife Gillian Jessica Eden in 1976. Gillian died in 2015.

Death and afterward

Peter Yates died in 1982.

Influences

Peter's main influences were Le Corbusier and

. Other influences were though his friendships with Austin Wright,

Kenneth Rowntree Kenneth Rowntree (14 March 1915 – 21 February 1997) was a British artist. Career and life Kenneth Rowntree was born in Scarborough, the son of Howard Doncaster Rowntree (1879-1974). He was educated at Bootham School, York. He studied at th ...

and Diana Rowntree, Dennis Flanders and others. Peter Yates nominated and successfully campaigned for Berthold Lubetkin to be awarded the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

for Architecture, 1982 Peter Yates curated an exhibition of Le Corbusier Lithographs at the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull in 1976

Murals

Like Le Corbusier before him, Peter Yates hand painted murals in many buildings. Printed murals also appeared in several commercial interiors. Public : Bevin Court, London; ''Lake with Dragonflies'', Lloyds Bank, The Citadel, Killingworth; Northern Rock Building Society, Newcastle upon Tyne; Martin's Bank (now Lloyds Bank) interior, Priestpopple, Hexham; Lettering in grey, white and black, R.H. Patterson, Ford Main Dealer; ''Nonsuch Palace'', Linden Hall, Northumberland; Miner's Cafeteria, Peterlee; ''Time'', The Golden Egg Restaurant, Newcastle upon Tyne; ''The Italian Mural'', Castle Eden; ''Shadows on the Wall'', Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne; ''Carbon Molecular Structures'', Sterling Organics Reception, Dudley; ''Origins of Gas, Gas Rig'', Norgas House (Pierre Boucher); ''Processions of Shells'', Beacon House Lobby, Whitley Bay; ''Flags'', Tynemouth Sailing Club, Tynemouth. Domestic : Grand Parade, Tynemouth; Trees, Woolsington; Scotby, Cumbria.

Exhibitions

One man exhibitions:
1975 Ultramarinos, Colbert Gallery, Durham
1976 England! Colbert Gallery, London
1978 England 2, Downstairs Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
1979 Central Sea Paintings of the Mediterranean, Downstairs Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
1982 Paris! Pen Gallery, Blackheath, London
1982 The Lakes Bridge House Gallery, Coniston
1982 Cyclops Rock, Paintings of England, France, Spain, Italy and Greece Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
1983 Peter Yates Retrospective, Durham Light Infantry, Durham
1985 England, France and Cyclops Rock, RIBA, London
2010 Peter Yates British Landscapes, Margaret Howell, London
2015 Peter Yates Paintings 1939-1982, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne Group exhibitions:
Whitechapel Art Gallery (1942, 1943)
The Essex Art Club (1944, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
Royal Academy (1943)
Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours / Royal Watercolour Society (1943, 1944, 1946, 1982)
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

(1946)
Durham Images. Colbert Gallery, Durham
Wallsend Arts Centre
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
RIBA NE Reinvigorating the Region (2010) Works in private collections in Great Britain, Europe, USA and New Zealand

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yates, Peter 1920 births 1982 deaths English muralists 20th-century English painters English male painters Architects from London People from Leytonstone 20th-century English architects People educated at Wanstead High School Royal Air Force personnel of World War II British firefighters 20th-century English male artists