Finding Peter

Under the Martini sign in the Hamptons

I was distressed to hear that my old friend Peter Beard had gone missing. The headlines were disturbing, reported as having dementia and that he had wandered away from his home a few days ago.

I’ve been up to his home a few times, having dinner in his back patio once with his wife and a neighbor, courtesy of my friend Jan Sharp who made a documentary about him. That was nearly a decade after I met him courtesy of an odd sequence of events, that I will report in context of the following interview.

I was a recipient of many fun evenings, filled with laughter, insight and Peter’s unique view of all things Africa. Mostly at the behest of our mutual friend Peter Tunney, the former gallery owner turned artist who helped launch the second act of Peter’s artistic career.

Front door

Peter Beard new everyone, photographed them all, knew Karen Blitzen, had his “Hog Ranch” in Africa — and they had a pipeline where Peter Tunney would ship prints to Hog Ranch, and local artisans would add artwork to the canvas, then Peter Beard would put on the finishing touches back in NYC.