Peter Startup was born in 1921 in London, where he lived and worked. His career as an artist in the public eye began at Roland Browse & Delbanco in 1952, and included a one-man show at the ICA (1963); “British Sculpture Since 1945” at the Tate Gallery (1965); participation in “Forma Viva” in Yugoslavia (1966); and “New Work 2” at the Hayward Gallery (1975-6).

He was head of the department of sculpture at Wimbledon School of Art at the time of his death from a heart condition in 1976. Retrospective shows have included the Serpentine Gallery (1977); the Morley Gallery (1981); and Yorkshire Sculpture Park (1995). His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the Tate Gallery, the Arts Council of Great Britain, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.