Peter Beard was an American photographer, artist and diarist renowned for his distinctive blend of art and documentation, particularly in his evocative depictions of Africa’s wildlife and landscapes. Born in 1938 in New York, Beard studied at Yale University. There, he was influenced by his mentors including Josef Albers, Richard Lindner and Vincent Scully.
Beard’s lifelong exploration of the boundaries between man and nature was fuelled by visits to the Natural History Museum and Central Park Zoo as a child living in New York City. His deep connection with Africa began in the late 1950s, working at Tsavo National Park in Kenya photographing and documenting the man-made destruction of wildelife, which later became the subject of his first book The End of the Game (1965). Beard moved to Kenya in the 1960s and established Hog Ranch, which became a home and studio.
For the next 50 years, Beard immersed himself in writing books and documenting his local environment. Beard’s photography is celebrated for its raw, vivid portrayal of African wildlife, particularly elephants, and the environmental issues affecting them. His images often highlighted the tragic consequences of poaching and human encroachment on natural habitats, making his work as much about activism as it was about art. Over multiple decades of growth and experiences in Kenya, Beard has communicated on behalf of the endangered through a lens of African sensibility.
Throughout his life, Beard lived and worked between New York, Montauk and Kenya. During the 1970s, the photographer began working for fashion magazines and became a fixture at Studio 54. Beard’s social circle included a who’s who of 20th-century artists and celebrities, which significantly influenced his work. His friendships with figures like Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon and Salvador Dalí added layers to his artistic output.
Peter Beard died in 2020 at the age of 82. His legacy endures through his powerful images and unwavering commitment to both art and conservation. In 2017, Christie’s sold his work Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, near Nyeri , Kenya, March 1968, for US$672,500, setting a world auction record for the artist.
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, near Nyeri, Kenya, March 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphan Cheetah Triptych, 1968
Peter Beard (b. 1938)
Heart Attack City, 1972/1998
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, Kenya, 1968
PETER BEARD (b. 1938)
Hunting Cheetahs on the Tarn Desert, 1960-early 1990s
PETER BEARD (1938-2020)
Lion at Night, 1984
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
The Edge of the World
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
World-Class Black Rhino, Aberdare Forest, 1972
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, Kenya, 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Elephant Family at Night at a salt lick, Aberdare Forest, 1972/2009
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Large tusker (c. 150 lbs per side), Tsavo North, near hunting block 33/ Ithumber Hill on the Athi-Tiva dry river, February, 1965
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Self Portrait for Centre Nationale de la Photographie, Paris, 1996
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetahs, Kenya, from 'The End of the Game,' 1968
PETER BEARD (NE EN 1938)
Hunting Cheetahs on the Taru Desert, Kenya, 1960
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Bull Eland Passing Elephants Digging Water, near Kathamula Tsavo, North, for The End of the Game , February 1965
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Tsavo National Park, founded April Fool's Day 1948, 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, from The End of the Game , 1968
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
Maureen Gallagher and a night feeder at Hog Ranch, February, 1987
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Camera Work Portfolio, 1960-1987
PETER BEARD (NE EN 1938)
Loliondo (from the End of the Game), 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Giraffes in mirage on the Taru Desert, Kenya, for the End of the Game, June 1960
PETER BEARD (1938-2020)
Baby Mountain Gorilla
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
But past who can recall or done undo (Paradise Lost), 1977
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
World-record Black Rhino in the Ruhuti River Valley of the Aberdare Forest (front horn circa 47"), for the End of the Game/Last Word from Paradise, 1972
Peter Beard (b. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, near Nyeri, Kenya, March 1968
PETER BEARD (b. 1938)
Cheetah cubs at feeding time, Mweiga near Nyeri, Kenya, for 'The End of the Game', 1968
Peter Beard (b. 1938)
Fayel Tall 1984
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
The Ngong Hills and the Great Rift Valley (Tsavo Die-Off), 1975
PETER BEARD (b. 1938)
Large Tusker, circa 110-115 pounder, near Kattremula on the Tiva Sand River, Tsavo North, February 1965
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Giraffes in Mirage on the Taru Desert, Kenya, 1960
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Giraffes in Mirage on the Taru desert, Kenya, June 1960, for ' The End of the Game, Last Word from Paradise '
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Giraffes in Mirage on the Taru Desert, Kenya, 1960
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga, Kenya, 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Starvo Park, die-off, Hog Ranch, 1972
PETER BEARD (NE EN 1938)
Elephant reaching for the last branch on a tree, Kenya, 1960
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Elephant reaching for the last branch on a tree, 'End-Game' trip through Tsavo, June 1960
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Hog Ranch night feeder, 2am, Maureen G. and Mbuno, Nairobi, Kenya, for the Last Word from Paradise, March 1987
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
'I'll write when I can', 1965
PETER BEARD (b.1938 American)
I'll Write Whenever I Can, Koobi Fora, Lake Rudolf, Kenya, 1965
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Last Word from Paradise, Loliondo, from The End of the Game
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
Loliondo Lion Charge, 1964
Peter Beard (b. 1938)
Giraffes in Mirage on the Taru Dessert, Kenya, June 1960
PETER BEARD (NE EN 1938)
Large tusker (C. 150 lbs per side), Tsavo north, near hunting block 33/Ithumber hill on the Athi-Tiva dry river, February 1985
Peter Beard (B. 1938)
I'll Write Whenever I Can..., 1965/2005
Peter Beard (b. 1938)
Waterbuck Family on the Uaso Nyiro, 1968
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
Spitting Cobra, Tsavo, June 1960
PETER BEARD (1938-2020)
Orphaned Cheetah Cubs at Mweiga near Nyeri, Kenya, 1968
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
One Year Old Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda, 1984
PETER BEARD (1938–2020)
Tsavo North on the Athi Tiva, circa 150 lbs. – 160 lbs. side Bull Elephant, February, 1965
PETER BEARD (B. 1938)
One Year Old Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda, 1984