Peter Schmidt, born on 17 May 1931 in Berlin, moved to England with his Jewish mother in 1938. He began his artistic journey in 1947. He pursued formal art education at Goldsmiths College (1951-1953) and the Slade School (1953-1957). In 1957–58, he received the Abbey Minor Travelling Scholarship, which he spent in Sicily. Upon returning to England, Schmidt transitioned to painting directly from objects and people, primarily using oils. His work was exhibited at Beaux Arts, and he had his first solo exhibition in 1961, which was also the subject of a BBC TV film titled "Cubisim and beyond. Departures".
In 1963, he introduced the concept of "PROGRAM" in his painting. He created a series of music-inspired works exhibited in 1966 at the Curwen Gallery. Schmidt's art gradually evolved into complete abstraction, emphasizing ideas and systems. He ventured into electronic music with "A PAINTERS USE OF SOUND" at the ICA in 1967 and engaged in various music and performance events. Notably, he collaborated with Mark Boyle, participating in "Son et Lumiere" at the Cochrane Theatre. In 1968, Schmidt served as the musical director for the ICA exhibition "Cybernetic Serendipity." In 1969, he presented "ELECTRONIC SOUP MIX" at the Curwen Gallery and "FILM SOUND MIXES" at the ICA.
In 1972, Schmidt produced a series of 64 drawings inspired by the I Ching hexagrams. Later, he explored abstract paintings illuminated by a specialized color-shifting lightbox with custom electronics, gradually reintroducing figurative elements. In 1975, he exhibited at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, sharing the space with his Watford School of Art students in an exhibition titled "Painting on Clothes."
Throughout his life, Peter Schmidt explored various artistic media and concepts, including books, prints, film, sound, and painting. In his later years, he focused on watercolor painting, spending extended periods in locations like the Canary Islands, the Isle of Skye, and Iceland, where he painted landscapes. Schmidt's approach merged abstraction and figuration in his representational work.
Tragically, Peter Schmidt passed away suddenly from a heart attack on 22 January 1980 while on holiday in La Gomera, Canary Islands, just before the planned opening of his exhibition, 'More Than Nothing,' at Paul Ide Gallery in Brussels.
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