Peter FOLDES

Peter FOLDES (1924-1977 Földes Péter), artist and film director, animator and scriptwriter, born in Budapest, later moved to Britain. He attended the Courtauld Institute from 1946 and the Slade School of Fine Art, where he showcased his work at the Hanover Gallery in 1953. While studying at the Courtauld, he met Joan, his future wife, who shared his passion for filmmaking. They were encouraged by John Halas, the co-creator of the British cartoon film Animal Farm, to pursue a career in film. Together, Peter and Joan made two films, including A Short Vision, a thought-provoking animated painting that explored the threat of nuclear war, and was screened at Tate Britain in 2003. Following the release of the film, Peter returned to painting and eventually moved to Paris. He later resumed filmmaking and achieved great success in France from the mid-1960s.  Among his titles was ’Bilitis’ 1968, and a Canadian film ’La Faim’ 1973 about world famine. In the year of his death a documentary about Foldes ’Image de Peter Foldes’ drew attention to his contribution as an early computer-animation man. Tate Gallery archive has his striking ’Self-Portrait’ from 1953. Peter Foldes died in Paris in 1977.