Art Gallery of Newfoundland and
Labrador (AGNL)
Shaped by the Sea
Permanent Collections
Although he moved to Newfoundland relatively late in life, Peter Bell possessed a unique love-hate relationship with the place he made his home for 25 years. He also made a significant contribution to the local art scene as a painter, critic, and a former curator of Memorial University Art Gallery.
Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, in 1918, Bell went through several jobs before signing up with the merchant marine on the eve of World War II. In 1942, he joined the army, but not before a bureaucratic tangle kept him inactive for over a year. It was during this time that he rediscovered the world of art that he had loved earlier in life.
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The Return of the Fireflies 1972 Serigraph, 11/30 44.7 x 61.3 cm 
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After the war, Bell immigrated to South Africa and attended university, first taking courses in architecture, but then changing to a fine arts program. After completing his degree, he moved to Natal, where he eventually became head of the Ndaleni Art School. In 1963, the South African government pressured Bell to leave the country when he voiced his opposition to apartheid.
He moved to Newfoundland, where he taught art courses and became the curator of Memorial University Art Gallery in 1966. His tenure as curator lasted until 1972, when he became Memorial's "painter-in-ordinary" (artist-in-residence).
Bell may be best known, outside of his artwork, for the art column he wrote for the St. John's newspaper The Evening Telegram. His column often featured scathing criticism of local artists, which did little to endear him to the provincial arts community. Still, his columns featured thorough critiques, and while many artists disliked him, few could argue that he was not highly knowledgeable and passionate about art. The column ran from 1973 until 1980.
Along with art, Bell's other passion was botany. He and his wife Charlotte Macnee established an orchid business just outside of St. John's. They also published for several years the nationally distributed Canadian Orchid Journal. Both projects were eventually abandoned in favour of spending more time on their artwork.
Bell painted in oil or acrylic on masonite and made serigraph prints. Although his subject matter was mostly landscape, Bell differed from many Newfoundland artists by not focusing exclusively on Newfoundland. He preferred more tropical settings. To simulate these in the 1970s, Bell built the first geodesic dome house/greenhouse in Newfoundland and stocked it with huge exotic plants and small tropical birds. He and his family also often visited the Caribbean.
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Studio View No. 1 1970 Serigraph, A. P. 4 44.5 x 58 cm
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Among Bell's better-known works are the View From My Studio series of paintings about his home in Outer Cove and Day Haunt of the Siffleur Montagne, one of many paintings inspired by his stay on the Caribbean island of Dominica. He was commissioned to paint a mural for the West Wing of the Confederation Building in 1985, and Memorial University Art Gallery organized a retrospective of his work in 1987. The same year, Bell and Macnee left the province and moved to Western Scotland, but have returned to visit friends and relatives several times.
