The Fry Art Gallery

The Fry Art Gallery The official page of The Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden

The Fry Art Gallery is housed in a Victorian Gentleman's Gallery of two main rooms built in 1856 for the Quaker banker Francis Gibson. In 1985 it was taken over by the Fry Art Gallery Society, a charity set up to create the North West Essex Collection of work by artists of the locality. The focus is primarily on the remarkable group of painters and printmakers who settled in nearby Great Bardfield

from the 1930s to the 1970s, and which included Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious, John Aldridge, Michael Rothenstein and Kenneth Rowntree. The Fry's permanant collection is now a considerable resource, and in addition the gallery mounts regular tempory displays to broaden its appeal. For full details and to view the collection visit www.fryartgallery.org
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Congratulations to , whose prints She Rises and Skater have been selected for this year's Summer Exhibition.Both works ...
31/05/2026

Congratulations to , whose prints She Rises and Skater have been selected for this year's Summer Exhibition.

Both works can currently be seen in Papercuts: 30 Years of Collage & Illustration in the Gibson Room at the Fry Art Gallery, where Michelle's solo exhibition continues until 28 June.

Both prints are available from Michelle's website.

With a warm Bank Holiday in prospect, many of you will already be making plans for the long weekend. Our current exhibi...
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, so we hope to see you then. Immerse yourselves in Fry’s Popular Delights in the main gallery, and get your skates on to see Michelle Thompson’s solo show (closing 28 June) in the Gibson Room marking 30 years of collage design. Both exhibitions are a true celebration of N W Essex creativity past and present.
Images: Bernard Cheese and Michelle Thompson

On 9 May, World Collage Day, our workshop led by with was the place to be. A creative, entertaining day produced some ...
17/05/2026

On 9 May, World Collage Day, our workshop led by with was the place to be. A creative, entertaining day produced some wonderful work!

Morris Dancing at Thaxted, Dunmow, Essex by Walter Hoyle 1964 is our work of the month.This poster commissioned by the P...
05/05/2026

Morris Dancing at Thaxted, Dunmow, Essex by Walter Hoyle 1964 is our work of the month.
This poster commissioned by the Post Office Savings Bank shows the Thaxted Morris Men rounding the top of Watling Street in Thaxted decked out in their famous red and white waistcoats.
Founded in 1911, the Thaxted Morris Men were part of the revival of interest in Morris dancing begun by Cecil Sharp and Mary Neal. In 1952 the Squire of Thaxted Morris Men was Alec Butler Hunter, who worked as director and production manager at Warner & Sons textiles of Braintree. He commissioned a new set of waistcoats for the group made from a fabric from Warners, known as “Norwich Weave”, The fabric had been designed in 1947 by Marianne Straub as curtain fabric for RMS Caronia, a Cunard White Star Line passenger ship. Alec Hunter gave his own waistcoat to Marianne Straub, and she in turn passed it on to the Fry Art Gallery. It is now on display in our current exhibition Fry’s Popular Delights.
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. For more details see: https://www.thaxtedmorris.org/
Fry’s Popular Delights runs throughout the season in the main gallery and the Bawden room until Sunday 25th October 2026.

Our One Day Collage Event with Michelle Thompson on Saturday 9 May 10-4pm is a perfect opportunity to indulge your crea...
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.

In the workshop you will explore with the theme of Fragments of the World – Reimagined. Together we’ll see how everyday printed materials can be transformed into personal artworks, gathering images, textures, and words to create new compositions inspired by memory, place, and imagination.

We shall begin by meeting at the hall, then take a short walk together to view the Papercuts Exhibition at the Fry Art Gallery before returning to create our own collages in response to what we’ve seen.
Participants are asked to bring collage materials such as old postcards, magazines, and scissors.

Additional basic materials will be provided. Tea and coffee will be available throughout the day, and there will be a one-hour break for lunch.

£90. Book now via our website.

Images: Boom! ; Custard Dreams ; Paper

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

Three woodcuts from the North West Essex Collection by Michael Rothenstein feature in The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired...
19/04/2026

Three woodcuts from the North West Essex Collection by Michael Rothenstein feature in The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial at this summer.
The works are: Body of Summer - Odysseus Elytis, The Crazed Moon - WB Yates, and Le Soleil - Baudelaire.
Opening 5 June, the exhibition spans two floors and nine galleries, bringing together art, installations and rare objects that explore how these forces have shaped art, science, belief and imagination across cultures and centuries.
5 June – 8 September 2026�Supported by �Tickets: saatchigallery.com

Come and celebrate World Collage Day on 9th May with a relaxed, creative workshop exploring the theme Fragments of the W...
17/04/2026

Come and celebrate World Collage Day on 9th May with a relaxed, creative workshop exploring the theme Fragments of the World – Reimagined with Michelle Thompson. Together we’ll explore how everyday printed materials can be transformed into personal artworks, gathering images, textures, and words to create new compositions inspired by memory, place, and imagination.
We shall begin by meeting at the hall, then take a short walk together to view the Papercuts Exhibition at the Fry Art Gallery before returning to create our own collages in response to what we’ve seen.
Participants are asked to bring collage materials such as old postcards, magazines, and scissors.
Additional basic materials will be provided. Tea and coffee will be available throughout the day, and there will be a one-hour break for lunch.

Saturday 9th May 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Cost £90, bookable via our website: fryartgallery.org
Venue: The United Reform Church Hall, Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden, CB10 1AG. There is ample parking.

See the iconic Tea at Furlongs watercolour by Eric Ravilious, and many other treasures, in a sparkling curation of ‘Fry’...
16/04/2026

See the iconic Tea at Furlongs watercolour by Eric Ravilious, and many other treasures, in a sparkling curation of ‘Fry’s Popular Delights’ by and Colin Wilkin. North West Essex Collection favourites are celebrated in the show, exploring their links with Popular Art, a term which embraces visually engaging work not originally intended for gallery walls. The exhibition, sponsored by Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, runs until 25 October .

Visitors before 28 June can also enjoy a fantastic retrospective of Michelle Thompson’s work Paper Cuts: 30 Years of Collage and Illustration.

Just 10 days ago we opened the doors for the new exhibition season. Local freelance illustrator and collage artist Mich...
14/04/2026

Just 10 days ago we opened the doors for the 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.
Michelle combines analogue collage with digital illustration creating bold, layered pieces that explore texture, narrative, and found imagery. She builds collages intuitively, letting fragments come together naturally in her personal work. Inspiration comes from vintage magazines and advertising slogans.
She has been commissioned by the Sunday Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Channel 4 and The New York Times. Michelle exhibits internationally at major art fairs and her work also features regularly in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
We look forward to welcoming you to Michelle’s show, and in the main gallery, Fry’s Popular Delights, a Fry Collection tour de force curated by Mark Hearld and Colin Wilkin.

Address

Castle Street
Saffron Walden
CB101BD

Opening Hours

Tuesday 2pm - 5pm
Thursday 2pm - 5pm
Friday 2pm - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 2:15pm - 5pm

Telephone

+441799513779

Website

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