From Bosnian war to his own battle for mental health, Scottish painter Peter Howson on how art became his therapy
- Working as Britain’s official war artist during the Bosnian war led Peter Howson to have a severe mental breakdown. Art became his therapy and saved him
- The current conflict in Ukraine and tensions around the world inspire him to paint, and a collection of his most recent work will soon go on show in Hong Kong
Peter Howson’s paintings are confronting, brutal and violent. But an understanding of the Scottish artist’s past explains a lot about his creative process.
In 1993, aged 35, Howson worked as Britain’s official war artist during the Bosnian war (1992-1995). “Bosnia had a tremendous effect on my life and work. It was frightening – I don’t think I’ll ever get over it completely,” Howson says. He still has nightmares and panic attacks about his time there.
Recalling sitting in a bunker in the Bosnian town of Vitez, Howson says he felt fear, shame and loneliness, which triggered suicidal impulses.
“I had a severe mental breakdown when I returned from that place. A broken man returning to a broken wife and three children. Then I went quite mad and abandoned them … the guilt has never left me.”
From November 18, a new collection of Howson’s works will be shown in “Lacrimae Rerum” at Flowers Gallery, in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is his first solo exhibition in Asia.