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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 9h

Our work of the month: The Corn Stook, oil on canvas, 1946 by John Aldridge, RA (1905 – 1983) We were surprised and delighted in July when Jessica Hope, who lives near Philadelphia, USA, contacted us with an offer we couldn’trefuse – five pictures by John Aldridge, including this seasonal beauty.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

We're counting down to this year's Annual Exhibition and Sale on 14 & 15 November! Our eagerly awaited Annual Sale is our most important fund-raising event. We are particularly excited by some of the new artists who will be exhibiting with us this year for the first time. 12-4pm Saturday and Sunday.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

On Friday we hosted a special event. The Pollock's Players - Alan Powers, David Powell and Debbie Radclife - performed The Corsican Brothers for an audience of rapt guests charmed by the show.The play is based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas, adapted for the stage in 1852. www.pollockstoymuseum.co.uk

pollockstoymuseum.co.uk

Pollock's Toy Museum - The oldest Toy Museum in the UK

The official site of Pollock’s Toy Museum, home to London’s much loved collection of bears, dolls, toy theatres, games and more.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

1 day card workshop, 31 October 10.30 am – 4.30 pm £90 book via our website: fryartgallery.org At: The United Reformed Church Saffron Walden Chloë will share her techniques, combining stencil printing, collage and drawing. We will look at the extensive archive of cards made by Fry Gallery artists.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Just 8 places left for Friday evening's talk (7.30pm) with Olga Lehmann's biographer, and exhibition co-curator, Amanda Stone. Tickets £6 via our website. See you at Fry Art Gallery, 19a Castle Street Saffron Walden very soon. Images: Apollo and Daphne, Orpheus and Eurydice (gouache, undated)

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Our work of the month is this 1932 sketch by Eric Ravilious. Eric addressed the envelope to ‘Miss Charlotte Epton’, on her arrival at Brick House, Great Bardfield, as the future wife of Edward Bawden.They lived there until Charlotte’s death in 1970. Work on long term loan from a private collection.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Join us for a talk by Amanda Stone at 7.30pm on 25 September at The Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden. Amanda, Olga Lehmann’s biographer and our exhibition co-curator, will discuss the artist's life and work. Due to limited space in the gallery, there are just 30 tickets. (£6.00 via our website).

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

This luminous portrait of British-French actor Yvonne Furneaux (1926-2024) may be small in size but is exceptionally eye catching. Furneaux was cast as Marie to Errol Flynn's Black Prince in the 1954 film 'The Dark Avenger' and this portrait by artist Olga Lehmann evokes a bygone cinematic era.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

If your Bank Holiday diary isn’t yet full drop in @fryartgallery to see our two current exhibitions - Fry's Popular Delights and Olga Lehmann: a Versatile and Vivacious Artist. Each curation features some of the best work in the North West Essex Collection, and some exciting loans. See you soon!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Discover more about the work of Olga Lehmann in Margy Kinmonth’s film War Paint: Women at War showing at Saffron Screen this Sunday, 23/8 at 7.30pm. Margy’s film offers insight into the contribution of women in WWII who used their art for the war effort and is compliments our show of Olga’s work.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

We regret that we are again closed today, August 14th, due to the ongoing amber warning. Thanks to all our visitors for sharing some wonderful photos from your summer visits to us and we'll see you again soon for more of Fry's Popular Delights and works by our latest featured artist Olga Lehmann.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Unfortunately the gallery will be closed tomorrow, Thursday 13 August. Our beautiful 1856 building has no air conditioning and cannot cope with an amber heat alert. Meanwhile enjoy Olga Lehmann's glamorous programme design for 'Music from the Operas' a 1947 Royal Albert Hall performance by the LSO.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

If you’re partial (as we are) to the work of the magnificent Bardfield Artists, this Lino cut Map of Bardfield designed by Richard Bawden is sure to appeal. Printed by Stuart Morris Textiles in Suffolk, the design has been transformed into decorative tea towels. For orders, visit our on-line shop.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Portraits of the artist - see Olga Lehmann’s personal items, including photos with her son Paul Huson, her paintbox and war permit, with Self Portrait with Flowers (1965). We think the painting captures her lively manner so well. Enjoy Olga’s work, together with Fry's Popular Delights, until 25/10.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Olga Lehmann's designs for Argo Record Company include these beautiful covers for Dylan Thomas' 'Under Milk Wood' (voted one of the top 100 Best Record Covers) and the initial design for T S Eliot’s 'The Wasteland' - see these and many more examples of Olga's work for stage and screen @ the Fry now

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

With the Summer Holidays now in full swing Britain’s beautiful beaches are starting to fill up. Take an imaginative trip instead at Fry’s Popular Delights...the gallery is alive with whimsical treasures to relish. The show runs to 25/10/26. Image: Edward Bawden, By the Sea (1929-30), oil on board

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Until 25/10/26 Olga Lehmann: a Versatile and Vivacious Artist In wartime Olga was asked to paint murals in Government buildings to boost morale. 'Red Tape' was a satirical mural for the British Censorship Department! Buy Amanda J Stone's new biography of Lehmann at the Fry or from our online shop.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Olga Lehmann "a versatile and vivacious artist" has opened! The team welcomed visitors to the Gibson Room yesterday for a private viewing. We were joined by Robert Worley, who worked with Olga, and the artist’s biographer Amanda J Stone. Do enjoy Olga’s work in this special curation at the Fry.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Our Work of the Month is 'A Splash in the Pant' by Richard Bawden Linocut 1992 series of 85 The work recalls his parents Edward and Charlotte Bawden and their fellow Brick House dwellers Eric and Tirzah Ravilious cooling off in their birthday suits on a hot summer's day in the river. How refreshing!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Due to the extreme weather warnings we regret that the gallery will remain closed until Saturday 27 June. We look forward to welcoming you in more comfortable conditions soon @fryartgallery

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

@chloeacheese preparing for today’s workshop Playing with Still Life inspired by our current exhibition Fry’s Popular Delights. Wishing all the participants a fabulous, creative day! Photos: Candy Clark #makeart #stilllife #workshop #saffronwalden #fryartgallery

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Original pen and ink drawing for a chapter heading for Good Food by Ambrose Heath. First published by Faber & Faber in 1932, Good Food contains a chapter for every month of the year, and features cover artwork and illustrations by Edward Bawden. The image is of two children hunting for strawberries.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Congratulations to @mich_tom, whose prints She Rises and Skater have been selected for this year's @royalacademyarts Summer Exhibition. Both works can be seen in Papercuts: 30 Years of Collage & Illustration in the Gibson Room at the Fry, where Michelle's solo exhibition continues until 28/6/26.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

With a warm Bank Holiday in prospect, many of you will already be making plans for the long weekend. Our current exhibitions are perfect for all the family. Immerse yourselves in Fry's Popular Delights and get your skates on to see Michelle Thompson's solo show (closing 28/6) in the Gibson Room.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

On 9 May, World Collage Day, our workshop led by @mich_tom with @artyfailedhousewife was the place to be. A creative, entertaining day produced some wonderful work! #collage #collageoftheday #essexevents #saffronwalden

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Morris Dancing at Thaxted, Dunmow, Essex (1964) a poster by Walter Hoyle is our work of the month. It is on display in Fry's Popular Delights until 25 October. The Thaxted Morris Men dance in Thaxted every Bank Holiday Monday, and stage a 'Weekend of Dance' over the Whitsun weekend at the end of May

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Our One Day Collage Event with Michelle Thompson on Saturday 9 May 10-4pm is a perfect opportunity to indulge your creative side, or treat a friend! Venue: The United Reform Church Hall, Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden, CB10 1AG. There is ample parking. £90 for the day. Booking via our website.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

For ‘Fry's Popular Delights' curators Mark Hearld and Colin Wilkin created some exciting paste papers for the Main Gallery, which work so well with the exhibition's lively, eclectic displays. Visit us soon and enjoy the best of the North West Essex Collection at your leisure. Photos: Doug Atfield

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

3 woodcuts from the N W Essex Collection by Michael Rothenstein feature in The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial @saatchi_gallery 5/6 - 8/9/2026. Connecting art, installations and rare objects, the show explores how such forces shaped art, science, belief + imagination across the ages.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

See Tea at Furlongs, Eric Ravilious’ iconic watercolour, and many other treasures in our sparkling show ‘Fry’s Popular Delights’ curated by Mark Hearld + Colin Wilkin. N W Essex Collection favourites are celebrated, exploring their links with Popular Art not originally intended for gallery walls.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

10 days ago we opened the doors @FryArtGallery for our new exhibition season. Local freelance illustrator and collage artist Michelle Thompson has a solo exhibition in the Gibson Room, and Celia Bartlett shot some striking images of the artist and her work. Visit us soon for this unique show.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Our work of the month is Surrealist Collage by Olive Cook (d. 2002). Cook’s work features prominently in our exhibition Fry’s Popular Delights. She grew up in Cambridge, and was educated at the Perse school and Newnham College. After graduating she worked at Chatto & Windus and the National Gallery.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Come and celebrate World Collage Day on 9th May with a relaxed, creative workshop exploring the theme Fragments of the World – Reimagined. Together explore how everyday printed materials can be transformed into personal artworks, gathering images, textures, and words to create new compositions

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Opening weekend @fryartgallery is always such a joy and very busy! Join us soon for two fantastic new shows: our permanent collection is celebrated and re-imagined in Fry's Popular Delights, while Papercuts: 30 Years of Collage Illustration showcases Michelle Thompson’s stylish, innovative practice.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

New season training underway! The gallery couldn't function without its trusty team of Invigilators who welcome the 12,000 or so visitors who visit annually. As well as learning how to open and manage the gallery, there's also a sneak peek at our new exhibitions. All welcome from Sunday 5 April

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Self Portrait oil on canvas by Olga Lehmann. Although her later years were spent in N W Essex, Lehmann’s background was cosmopolitan. Born and educated in Chile, she came to the UK to study at the Slade. We are offering an exciting glimpse into her underrated creative world July - October this year.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

This colourful tapestry design by Edward Bawden, The Farmyard (1951), is sure to brighten your weekend. Heading toward March, we look forward to reopening in just over a month’s time for Fry’s Popular Delights and Michelle Thompson Paper-cuts: 30 Years of Collage Illustration. More previews soon!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

This watercolour paintbox was Richard Bawden’s. The Fry collection doesn’t consist solely of artworks. We also own a surprising quantity of ephemera relating to ‘our’ artists, as well as treasure trove of archive material. Delighted to receive this well-used box owned by the artist (1936-2024).

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

With romance in the air this week, our work of the month is Spring Wedding, oil on canvas by John Bolam (1922-2009). The season is turning, but is not yet full Spring, as the bare trees and long coats of the depicted guests suggest. The painting is newly donated to us by Bolam’s niece Frances Hurd.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

More exhibition news! It’s busy behind the scenes. Colin Wilkin, our Keeper of Pictures, has worked with Mark Hearld selecting loans and pieces from the stores.’Fry’s Popular Delights’ explores the link between ‘Fry’ artists and Popular Art. Co-curated by Mark and Colin, the show runs 5/4 to 25/10.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Our first exhibition in the Gibson Room this year will be Michelle Thompson's solo show Papercuts: 30 Years of Collage Illustration. Opening 5 April. Papercuts presents a retrospective of Michelle's three-decade career, featuring original collage pieces alongside her printed illustration work.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Before we begin our 2026 exhibition previews we are sharing sketches by Hannah Webb drawn in November at our Annual Sale. The reportage style images really capture the energy of the occasion. She regularly lectures, teaches and exhibits her work, and is widely published and collected. Thanks Hannah!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

As we look ahead to a new exhibition year, we are pleased to introduce the Fry Art Gallery's new Chair, Mark Myers. Mark has a broad range of cultural interests across the arts and has made a considerable contribution to his previous roles. We are looking forward to working with him. Welcome Mark!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

While icy conditions are longer with us all, January afternoons often demand comfort. These two fireside images, although different in style and medium, are both influenced by English Neo-romanticism: Turf Fire, oil, by Edwin Smith (d. 1970) and Fireplace and Kettle by Michael Rothenstein (d. 1993)

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

A Snowy Day by Edward Bawden is our work of the month. The weather warnings for snow and ice at the start of 2026 could equally apply to Great Bardfield in January 1955, at the start of what was known as ‘Britain’s big freeze’ - purchased with assistance from the Art Fund and the V&A Purchase Fund.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

The Bardfield Artists sculpture by @ianwolter and the gallery looking picture perfect in the snow. We hope everyone is keeping safe and warm this chilly January. Thanks to @candyaclark for capturing the moment ❄️ #fryartgallery #greatbardfieldartists #saffronwalden #modernandcontemporaryart

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

A reminder to join us next Friday 9 January, from 7.30pm at the Quaker Meeting House, Saffron Walden for our final winter talk by Helen Ritchie. Helen is responsible for researching, interpreting and curating modern and contemporary European Applied Arts at the Fitzwilliam Museum. Tickets £6

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Two beautiful Bawden works to mark the year's end. Brick House, Great Bardfield (1955) by Edward Bawden and Winter Evening by Richard Bawden. It has been a truly memorable fortieth year for the Fry with exciting new acquisitions and exhibitions. We wish you a happy, healthy and creative 2026!

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

A date for January diaries! Our final winter talk will be given by Helen Ritchie, Senior Curator Modern & Contemporary Applied Arts at the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge. Join us at the Quaker Meeting House in Saffron Walden on Friday 9th January 2026 - 7.30pm. Tickets on the door or via our website.

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Fry Art Gallery @fryartgallery.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Many of Great Bardfield's artists made seasonal greetings cards for friends and family. We've some wonderful examples, including this Christmas Card Design Linocut by Michael Rothenstein. To all our amazing volunteers and visitors, thank you for making our 40th year so memorable. Merry Christmas!

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