John Piper

John Egerton Christmas Piper (13 December 1903 – 28 June 1992) was an English painter, printmaker, and designer of stained-glass windows, as well as opera and theatre sets. His work predominantly featured the British landscape, with a particular focus on churches and monuments, and spanned tapestry designs, book jackets, screen prints, photography, fabrics, and ceramics. Educated at Epsom College, he went on to train at the Richmond School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. Early in his career, he shifted away from abstraction, adopting a more naturalistic yet distinctive style, although he continued to explore various styles throughout his career.

As an official war artist during World War II, Piper's representations of bomb-damaged churches and landmarks, especially Coventry Cathedral, brought him widespread recognition and led to his works being included in numerous public collections. Piper also collaborated extensively, working with poets John Betjeman and Geoffrey Grigson on the Shell Guides, potter Geoffrey Eastop, and artist Ben Nicholson. In his later years, he focused on creating a series of limited-edition prints.