My friend Minne Fry, who has died aged 91, was an abstract artist who emerged in early 1960s London at the New Vision Gallery in Marble Arch, where the director, Denis Bowen, encouraged his exhibitors to be distinct and expressive. He also wanted to counter the then prevalent notion of abstract art as “throwing a pot of paint in the public’s face”.
One of the foremost art critics of the day, Eric Newton, singled out Minne’s work for special commendation, and in 1965 he bought one of her paintings, Monochrome 1, so that he could donate it to the Contemporary Art Society in London.
Minne Fry in 2020
Although she subsequently put her burgeoning career as a painter on hold to raise three children and to teach, in her mid-40s Minne picked up with it again, and flourished for another 40 years. Over the years she had 16 solo exhibitions in London, Paris and Johannesburg (the last two in London curated by myself), and her work was included in more than 100 group exhibitions globally.
Minne was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Jack Zidel, a doctor, and his wife, Ray (nee Feldman), an artist. After attending Parktown high school in the city, she studied English at Witwatersrand University, also in Johannesburg.
During a visit to London at the age of 15 she had met fellow teenager Lionel Fry, after which they corresponded across continents until they married in 1955, both aged 21.
Winter Evening, a 2008 Minne Fry etching
Moving to London with Lionel, Minne studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, before throwing herself into the capital’s art scene, using nature as the major stimulus for her work while eschewing literal depictions of flora, fauna or landscapes in favour of revealing her emotional responses to such subject matter.
However, family and work soon began to intervene, and until 1974 she mainly concentrated on teaching English and art at various primary schools across south-east London, often as a supply teacher.
After making her comeback in the art world in the 80s, Minne began to diversify her skills and practice through printmaking at Morley College in London. In 2008 the Daily Telegraph art critic David Cheal selected her etching, Winter Evening, as one of his top five picks at that year’s Royal Academy summer exhibition, saying that “if I had it on my wall, I would, I think, never stop looking at it, never tire of peering into its mysterious glowing depths”.
Minne exhibited regularly with the National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers, where in 2017 she was awarded the painting prize, and with the Morley Printmakers, gaining its 2018 etching award. Despite a decline in her eyesight in her late 80s, her passion for colour and the outdoors continued to be conveyed in her works.
Lionel, a professor of dermatology, died in 2021. Minne is survived by their children, Michael, Tessa and Kathy, and grandchildren Zack and Daisy.
