Peter Snow (1927 - 2008)

Head of Postgraduate theatre design at Slade School of Art

Painter, theatre designer and teacher, born in Catford, south London. Following his military service in Cairo and Jerusalem he attended the Slade School of Fine Art, 1948-53 studying under Robert Medley and was awarded the Malcolm Scholarship in Decorative Painting and Theatre Design. Snow's first stage design was Love's Labours Lost for Southwark Shakespeare Festival in 1953 and was followed by a design for The Beggar's Opera, 1954. In 1955, he designed the first English production of Beckett's Waiting for Godot for Director Peter Hall. Snow exhibited with the 'Young Contemporaries' in 1951 at the Royal Society of British Artists Galleries and held his first solo exhibition in 1958 at Beaux Arts Gallery, London. After its closure he continued to exhibit at the Piccadilly Gallery and Albemarle Gallery.

He continued to design many stage sets for theatre and ballet, while exhibiting in group and solo exhibitions. Snow later taught at the Slade School of Fine Art in the same department in which he studied. he eventually took over and ran with distinction for 25 years until his retirement in 1992. His students included Yolanda Sonnabend and Derek Jarman. The Morley Gallery Staged a retrospective in 1995 and his skilful use of light was evident in pictures shown there and in later exhibition organised posthumously. Examples of his work are in the collections of the Britten-Pears Foundation, City of London Corporation, Dillington House, Museum of London, National Portrait Gallery and Southwark Culture and Heritage Services.

Sources: www.artbiogs.co.uk