Minne Fry obituary

"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."

"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."

Minne Fry was an abstract artist who emerged in early 1960s London at the New Vision Gallery, where director Denis Bowen encouraged distinct and expressive work and opposed sensationalist views of abstraction. Eric Newton praised Fry's work and purchased Monochrome 1 in 1965 for donation to the Contemporary Art Society. Fry paused her painting career to raise three children and to teach, then resumed in her mid-40s and sustained a productive practice for forty years. She produced sixteen solo exhibitions in London, Paris and Johannesburg and participated in over 100 group shows worldwide. Nature inspired Fry's work without literal representation.

Read at www.theguardian.com