Peter Bromhead’s well-known cartoons focus on many key periods in New Zealand history and are reflected in Bromhead’s inevitably biting comments on the news of the day. From Muldoon’s snap election, to the Rainbow Warrior, to floating the dollar, Bromhead’s works are a witty and entertaining snapshot of the economic, social and political scene in New Zealand over the past 40 years – a period that can be seen more than any other to define our identity as a nation truly independent from Britain.
In a career that spans a wide range of creative endeavour, Bromhead has been the undisputed overlord of the New Zealand cartooning world for decades, publishing over 100,000 cartoons in his career so far.
Bromhead has been involved in the business and media community for over 40 years and is the Managing Director of a long-established Auckland interior design and publishing company.
His business skills have been recognised as a past Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial finalist.
Bromhead is a Fellow Life Member of the Designers Institute of NZ. He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his cartooning services in 2000 and has also been awarded Denmark’s Prince Henrik Medal of Honour for his services to international design.
He is also the recipient of 9 Qantas Media Awards for cartooning including in 2009 The Print Media Award for outstanding services to the industry and was a finalist in the 2006 Toronto Film Festival for miniature animated cartoons, produced for television and mobile phones.
Other art awards include the ANZ Bank Award for Drawing and finalist in the Benson and Hedges Award for Painting.
With 7 books published, including 3 children’s books, his latest work, a collection of caustic observations will be published in 2010. He currently writes and draws cartoons for a number of New Zealand publications including The New Zealand Herald, The Herald on Sunday and Marlborough Express.
His cartoons are represented in many public art gallery and private collections including Te Papa, The Auckland Art Gallery, The Dunedin Public Art Gallery and The Auckland Museum.