|
One of the greatest abstract artists of our time has died just weeks before
his 88th birthday.
Sir Terry Frost, who lived and worked from his home and studio at Newlyn,
died at St Julia's Hospice, Hayle, with his son, Anthony at his side.
He had been admitted to the hospice 11 days earlier after his long fight
against cancer worsened.
"When he was admitted, he had every hope of coming back home again
after some treatment and rest," said Anthony.
"But it soon became clear that he was not going to get better and
he died whilst I was sitting with him and just as my mum and my sister
arrived in the room. It was a peaceful end, but he fought to the very
last."
Anthony said that his brothers and sisters have now travelled back to
Penwith from around the world to be with his mother, Kathleen, as this
time.
Sir Terry's funeral will be held at St Peter's Parish Church, Newlyn,
on Tuesday at 11 am , followed by a wake at The Coastguard Hotel, Mousehole,
at 3 pm.
"We have all been expecting the worst ever since my father was diagnosed
with cancer," said Anthony.
"But it has still come as a shock to us all. I'm already missing
talking with him about art."
Anthony, himself an internationally acclaimed artist, said that right
up to the day his father went in to St Julia's, Sir Terry was still painting
and that his love of art was "infectious."
"On the day dad died, my son, Luke, was taking down his own exhibition
at Badcock's in Newlyn, and my other son, Dan, was returning from the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he had just received an award for flyers
he had produced for a play," said Anthony.
"Dad's love of art has certainly rubbed off on all of us and we
have received tributes to him and his work from around the world."
Sir Terry was a contemporary of Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson and
was one of the band of gifted artists who put St Ives on the art map.
His strikingly vivid abstract works brought him fame across the world
resulting in him receiving a knighthood from the Queen in 1998.
A major retrospective of his work was shown by the Royal Academy in 2000
and earlier this year, the Tate Gallery St Ives, held a major exhibition
of his work, but Sir Terry was too unwell to attend.
article copyright © THE CORNISHMAN
 |
