Sir Terry Frost RA (1915-2003)
One of Britain’s most highly acclaimed artists of the Twentieth Century. His colourful prints and paintings, instantly recognisable, are synonymous with the St Ives movement. Frost started painting while a prisoner of war in Germany in WW2, encouraged by a fellow inmate, the Slade-trained painter Adrian Heath. On his return he studied at the St. Ives School of Art followed by the Camberwell School. His early work was figurative, he produced his first abstract in 1949. Frost worked as Barbara Hepworth’s assistant in 1951 and had his first solo exhibition in London in 1952. By the late 1950’s Frost was firmly established as a leading abstract painter, exhibiting regularly in London and throughout the world. From the mid 1950’s he was also involved in teaching at various UK universities. In 1960 he had his first solo show in New York. In 1974 he moved permanently to Newlyn in Cornwall which was to prove a constant source of inspiration for his works, the sun, moon, water, boats and colours. Frost was elected a Royal Academician in 1992 and received a knighthood in 1998. A retrospective of Frost’s work was held at the Royal Academy in 2000.