Paintbox
FONK Magazine article 26 Sept 2026
FONK Magazine article https://fonkmagazine.com/artikelen/creatie/amsterdamse-digitale-kunstpionierontwerper-kim-mannes-abbott-herondekt-78987.html#sluiten
The Quantel Paintbox
Quantel, a British company, created the world’s most advanced digital video and photo creative computer systems from the late 1970s through to the mid 1990s, launching the Quantel Paintbox in 1981. At a unit price of USD 250,000, equivalent to approximately USD 900,000 today, it was only affordable for major broadcasters.
In 1984, Quantel donated several Paintboxes to be shared between selected Art Colleges across Britain, launching the careers of many digital artists, including early adopter Kim Mannes-Abbott.
MTV European launch, 1987
Alongside the artists Quantel later employed in the 1980s, including Kim following her MTV work, a host of creative luminaries also used the Paintbox, among them David Hockney, Peter Greenaway, Keith Haring, Stanley Kubrick, Richard Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Sidney Nolan, Peter Blake and April Greiman.
Together they helped pioneer a new medium, hybrid imagery, later known as multimedia and photoshopping, five years before Photoshop 1.0 was even released.
The 1986 BBC series Painting with light.
The BBC produced a series called Painting with Light in 1986. Six luminaries were invited to take part: David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Larry Rivers, Sidney Nolan and Jennifer Bartlett. Each was filmed creating original artwork live on the Quantel Paintbox.
Hockney’s session became the series’ best-known episode. He described the glowing colour of his marks as like “painting with light on glass.” The programme first aired on BBC2 in 1986–87.