Sir Terry Frost
Sir Terry Frost
One of the most celebrated British artists of the twentieth century, Sir Terry’s work focused on bold colours and simplified geometric forms. Awarded an OBE in 1998 for his contribution to British art and art education, his essentialized and evocative images continue to have a considerable influence on the world of modern art. Read more
Sir Terry was born in 1915 and, although he attended evening art classes at the age of 16, only started painting while a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, in his 30’s. On his return to England he studied at Camberwell School of Art where he came into contact with the work of the St Ives group (Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Peter Lanyon and Roger Hilton, among others), which greatly influenced his abstract style. He also experimented with collages and constructions, although printmaking always played a key role in his work.
Sir Terry’s first one-man show was in London at the Leicester Galleries in 1952. By the late 1950’s he had become established as a leading abstract painter, exhibiting regularly in London. His first solo exhibition was at the Bertha Schaeffer Gallery in New York in 1961. His career included teaching at the Bath Academy of Art (1952), being a Gregory Fellow at Leeds College of Art (1956-59), and an artist in residence and Professor of Painting at the Fine Art Department at the University of Reading. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1992 and knighted in 1998.
Writing in tribute to the painter before he died, the owners of Badcock's Gallery, in Sir Terry's home town of Newlyn, said: ‘His unique ability to allow the joy of life to emanate from his work reduces the formal qualities of painting to a simplicity that is the unforgettable trade mark of this remarkable man.’