Peter Kennard was born in London in 1949 and began studying at The Slade School of Fine Art in 1967. While there, he became involved with anti-Vietnam War protests and decided to move away from painting to find a medium more suited to his activism. He began working with different photographs, cutting them and joining them together to create new pictures, with new messages. In the 1970s his work had only a small audience but this grew in the 1980s during the protests surrounding cruise missiles and the revival of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

At the time CND were still using images from the Ministry of Defense in their campaigns, which Kennard believed lessened the effectiveness of their message. He felt that CND were unaware of the power of using art in their campaigns and began creating images for them. He also wanted to challenge some of the images, produced during the Cold War, that had become acceptable in popular culture. He felt photomontages were a particularly effective way of tackling Cold War issues because the messages contained within them were harder to manipulate. Although Kennard created a great deal of work for CND, he was never officially a member.

Kennard has been heavily influenced by the Cold War, especially relating to anti-war protests and nuclear disarmament. He has never been paid for any of the artwork he created for protest groups. Instead, he wants to encourage people to think about what is happening around them, believing that artists with strong political views should express them in their work.

Here are six of Kennard's powerful protest posters.

Posters

Use Your Loaf

Anti-nuclear campaign poster by Peter Kennard depicting a missile and a loaf of bread - heading 'Use Your Loaf' and subheading 'No-one is staving from lack of weapons.'
© IWM Art.IWM (PST 9147)

‘Use Your Loaf’, Peter Kennard.

Posters

NEVER AGAIN

Artist Peter Kennard combined a nuclear mushroom cloud with a human skeleton in his 'Never Again' poster, with a message used in the 1920s and 30s in relation to world war, 'Never again'.
© IWM Art.IWM PST (9152)

‘Never Again’, Peter Kennard.

Art

Target London 1

The cover of the box shows the same image as this poster. The background is lined with a close-up map of the London area and surrounding towns. The area of the city itself has been burnt out leaving a large circular hole of black space. In this space there is a skeleton holding a 'Protect and Survive' booklet.
© IWM Art.IWM ART (16020 1)

‘Title Page, Target London 1’, A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, 1985, Peter Kennard.

Art

Cruising On London, Target London 5

‘Cruising on London, Target London 5’, A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, Peter Kennard ©.
© IWM Art.IWM ART (16020 5)

‘Cruising on London, Target London 5’, A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, Peter Kennard.

Art

World War III, Target London 7

‘World War III, Target London 7', A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, It shows black and white abstract image of protestors laying down and a pink/red mushroom cloud in the distance.
© IWM Art.IWM ART (16020 7)

‘World War III, Target London 7', A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, Peter Kenard.

Art

‘For Londoners Safety, Target London 16’

‘For Londoners Safety, Target London 16’, A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, This black and white posters shows a collection of nuclear weapons heads pointing towards a "Stop Children" sign.
© IWM Art.IWM ART (16020 16)

‘For Londoners Safety, Target London 16’, A Set of Photomontage Posters on Civil Defence in London, Peter Kennard.

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a depiction of a cat's head, partly in shadow, looking directly at the viewer. In the background is the night sky. text: I've got 9 lives YOU haven't LOOK OUT IN THE BLACKOUT There's danger on the roads Issued by the Ministry of War Transport in conjunction with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Terminal House, 52, Grosvenor Gardens, London, S.W.1. RS/MOI/51-2231.
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These Posters Helped Britain Prepare For Air Raids In The Second World War

Bombing raids took a deadly toll on civilian populations during the Second World War. Yet the bombs were not the only hazard during a raid. The British government released a range of informative posters to educate people on how to stay safe. 

Four visitors take in artwork in the BAFP galleries
© IWM
Permanent Display

Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries

IWM London
Permanent

Britons. Join Your Country's Army!
© IWM (Art.IWM PST 2734)
Classroom Resource

First World War Recruitment Posters

Use these sources to discover more about First World War Recruitment Posters.

For ideas to help you use these sources, take a look at our Suggested Activities.