Frank Fidler

Frank Fidler (1910 - 1995) isn't well known put he was primarily an artist active on the London art scene in the mid 1950s until the mid 1960s.

After that he "retired" back to his home in Hertfordshire producing more traditional art and becoming friendly with the sculptor, Henry Moore, who lived nearby.

He also produced tiles and made pots at this time, which can be found on this website at https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t18987-frank-fidler#146421


This oil on canvas by Frank was sold by me to the iconic clothing retailer and art collector, John Simons, and dates from c 1959.

Before becoming "hooked" on abstract/tachist art, following a chance meeting with Jackson Pollack, Frank painted in a more representative manner.

These paintings done in the early 1950s on visits to the South of France illustrate this.

I must confess i hadn't heard or this artist before your post , he seems quite an allrounder , his more naturalistic style reminds me of another artist but i can't quite remember who at the moment. It seems he tried every media, what were his pots like?.

He had a market gardening business, which he sold before taking up art full time and so was in a position to do what he wished. However, he was a quiet modest man by all accounts and didn't have an extravagant lifestyle.

His abstract work did sell well in London but he was not really a "swinging sixties type" and that is why he stopped exhibition in the capital. I think this photograph taken at a West End PV in 1959 illustrates that - Frank is in the dark suit on the left.


I put a link to his ceramics thread in the first post above.

On paper c1959

Here are some more of Franks paintings. These were obtained at the estate sale of his work after his death.
My family lived a few houses down from Franks house in the village of Barkway, Hertfordshire.

It's good to see work of Frank's that I haven't seen before. He was an important artist in the late 1950s/early 1960s but withdrew from the scene rather too early for his work to have gained widespread recognition.