Terry Frost (1915-2003)
Stage Design

Wax crayon drawing
21 x 42 cm

Sir Terry Frost was a British abstract artist known for his vibrant use of colour, geometric forms, and expressive compositions. His work often explored movement, rhythm, and balance, influenced by his experiences in Cornwall and his interactions with leading modernist artists.

Frost’s artistic career began at the age of 30. During a period of internment at a prisoner of war camp in Bavaria, Frost was encouraged by the artist Adrian Heath to paint. Immediately after the war he enrolled at the Birmingham College of Art and subsequently spent a year studying at the St Ives School of Painting. Alongside exhibiting in various galleries, including the Leicester Galleries in London’s West End, Frost also led a successful academic career, teaching at the University of Leeds and of Reading. He was eventually elected a Royal Academician in 1994 and knighted for his contributions to British art in 1998.

This crayon sketch appears to depict a sequence of movements, possibly for a dance or performance piece. The red and black palette gives a sense of contrast and rhythm, emphasising the energy of the composition. Frost may have produced it for the Aldeburgh Festival, a renowned music and arts festival founded by composer Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, and Eric Crozier in 1948. His abstract and dynamic use of colour and form, as exemplified by this striking work, would have complemented the festival’s innovative approach to opera and music.

Condition: generally very good, comes framed.