South End artist Urban dies at age 61

Locally renowned photographer Peter Urban died on Sept. 13 in Needham after a long battle with cancer. Urban was 61 years old.

After attending Boston University, Urban traveled to Hawaii and realized his passion for photography. Upon his return to Boston, he graduated from the Applied Photography Program of the New England School of Photography and subsequently attended the Arnold Newman Master Class at the Maine Photographic Workshops and Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center. Urban also studied photographic etching.

For the next two decades, Urban worked to establish himself as a well-known local artist. In 2007, his "Faces of Downtown" exhibit was displayed at Boston's City Hall. Urban's portrait work included such varied subjects as Mayor Thomas Menino, Senate President Therese Murray, Michael Dukakis, Keith Lockhart, Todd English, Joyce Kulhawick, Robert B. Parker, Susan Orlean, Robert Brustein, Carleton Varney, and Fay Wray. His work has appeared in The New York Times, the Boston Globe magazine, Boston Magazine, New York Magazine, and Improper Bostonian.

Urban received the Director's Award from the 2007 International Exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO and the New Approach Award from Fuji Films in 2001.

His work can be viewed online at www.peterurban.com.

Urban is survived by his life partner, Steve McCarthy.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17 from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. at the Bell-O'Dea Funeral Home, 376 Washington St., Brookline. A memorial service will be held on Friday, Sept. 18 at 11:00 a.m. in the First Parish in Brookline, 382 Walnut St.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226, ATTN: Contribution Services or The Aids Action Committee, 294 Washington Street, 5th Floor, ?Boston, MA 02108. For guestbook and directions, visit www.bellodeafuneralhome.com.