Peter McIntyre was born and educated in Dunedin at Otago Boys High School. In 1930, encouraged by his father, also an Artist, he travelled to London to further his studies at the Slade School of Art.
At the outbreak of war, he was sent to Egypt with a New Zealand volunteer unit. It was while serving there that he was commissioned as an Official War Artist to the New Zealand Division. In this capacity he travelled to Greece, Italy, North Africa and Crete. During this time he painted portraits of NZ heroes and recorded his visual interpretations of military encounters.
On his return after the war he travelled and painted in Antarctica (1958-59), Hong Kong (1960), The Northern Territory of Australia (1967) and The Pacific Coast of North America. Many illustrated books were published featuring his paintings and drawings from these adventures.
In between these travels he painted in both islands of New Zealand, winning the Kelliher prize for landscape, and being a finalist many times. In 1970 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his work as an author and for his achievements in the fine arts. He died in 1995.
He is represented in many leading New Zealand public galleries including Auckland Museum and Te Papa.