Sir Peter Blake is probably best known as one of the artists responsible for creating the album cover for The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but his contributions to the British Pop Art scene of the 1950s and '60s extend far beyond that project. Recently, the artist was commissioned to create a collage mural for Royal Albert Hall, an iconic concert hall that has stood in London since 1871.
Blake's mural uses the same collage style as the Sgt Pepper cover, but on a much larger scale. The 10-foot tall mural features over 400 of the musicians and entertainers that have graced the stage of the venue over the past 143 years, including Beyoncé, One Direction, Muhammad Ali, Adele, Shirley Bassey, Johnny Cash, Albert Einstein, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, sumo wrestler Konishiki, and a Dalek from Doctor Who.
The artist told The Independentthat he had not seen the mural completed until the unveiling because it was created through digital manipulation. "Hi-def images are just clearer and better. Sgt Pepper was a much more laborious process. Each cut-out had to be printed up photographically and stuck down and hand tinted. Now I’d do it on a computer obviously."
Click through to the Royal Albert Hall site to see an interactive version of the mural that allows you to zoom in and find your favorite performers.
[via The Independent]
