The art of war: a look at Peter Kennard’s thought-provoking exhibition at Imperial War Museum

Earth Oil Explosion (1985). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Maggie Regina (1983). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Decoration 6 (2003-4). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Decoration 8 (2003-4). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Cruise Missiles (1981). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Newspaper 8 (1994). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Newspaper 1 (1994). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Protect and Survive (1981). Courtesy Peter Kennard

Warhead 1 (1981). Courtesy Peter Kennard

The Boardroom as part of Peter Kennard: Unofficial War Artist. Courtesy IWM

A human hand crushing a missile, a huge oil explosion destroying Earth and paintings of US military medals, but with the ripped ribbons taking the form of the Star Spangled Banner ... these are the striking works of Peter Kennard. The British political artist has critiqued war and conflict throughout his 50-year career, and a major retrospective is now on show in London. It begins with Decoration, a series of military medals inspired by the Iraq War and then moves on to the photomontages of the 1970s and 1980s, including Crushed Missile and Haywain with Cruise Missiles, an anti-war take on John Constable's 1821 painting of a rural idyll. These images explore Cold War tensions, threat of nuclear devastation and polarised politics. The exhibition includes 200 works and also an art installation, Boardroom, created for the show, which looks at the history of war from the mid-20th century to today.

• Peter Kennard: Unofficial War Artist runs until May 30 at the Imperial War Museum in London. For more information, visit www.iwm.org.uk