Peter Dahl was born in Oslo in 1934 but fled with his family to Sweden during World War II. He studied at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, where he later became a professor of painting. His artistic career began in a studio in Huddinge, where he created several public artworks and gradually established himself as a significant figure in Swedish art.

In Sweden, Dahl quickly became popular, notably through his humorous and lively illustrations of Fredmans Epistles in the 1980s. At the same time, his love for his native Norway—and memories of his early childhood there—remained a constant thread throughout his work.

His extensive oeuvre spans many themes: art-political scandals, burlesque tavern scenes, penetrating portraits, and charged relational dramas. All are marked by a strong narrative drive and sensitivity to the human condition.