By Stone Martindale Mar 31, 2007, 16:49 GMT
"It was 40 years ago today..." but the Sgt Pepper album cover artist would like it to fade away, according to an interview in the Glasgow Herald.
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band EPA/ROYAL MAIL
Sir Peter Blake was remunerated, according to the Herald interview, "very little" for the mod collage, and the mention of it is a sore point with the artist. According to the Herald, he is "irritated by the attention his most famous work attracts."
The 75-year-old told The Glasgow Herald went on record to end any further queries regarding the iconic album artwork.
"I was paid very little for doing it. And a lot of money was made from it, and I suppose it would have been nice to see some of that over the years," he said.
"It can be annoying to be reminded of it all the time, considering all the other work you have done in your life.
"However, the attention it gets means that it has stood the test of time, and that is rewarding, but I am having more fun now entering my own late period'. I am very busy working and see no reason to stop."
The Glasgow Herald paints a rich picture of his early days in London, with the artist and wife at the time who collaborated with photographer Michael Cooper in 1967 to create the artsy collage.
Described as a "photomontage of John, Paul, George and Ringo dressed in candy-coloured uniforms, surrounded by a gallery of dozens of celebrities, heroes, villains, obscure thinkers, artists and footballers, including John Lennon's favourite player, Albert Stubbins."
The Herald states that Blake credits Paul McCartney with the conceptualization for the artwork.
Record company EMI rejected three of Lennon's proposals: Jesus, Gandhi, and Hitler claims the Herald.
The artist has a new showing scheduled for the 119th Annual Exhibition of the Paisley Art Institute next month. Blake claims he has "officially retired" from the art world... "And all its jealousy and ambition."
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