MARY FEDDEN, O.B.E., R.A. (BRITISH 1915-2012)
The Fish Pot
signed and dated 'Fedden '82' (lower right)
oil on board
73 x 91 cm. (28 3/4 x 35 3/4 in.)

Provenance
Sale; Christie's, London, 20 September 1990, lot 112
With Vincent Kosman, 22 January 1992, where purchased by the family of the present owner

ARR

Mary Fedden was born in Bristol, and dreamed of becoming a painter. She studied at Slade School of Art, under the theatre designer Vladimir Polunin, who had worked with the Ballets Russes; this paved the way for the her long and successful career.

In 1949, Fedden located to Chiswick, where she lived with fellow artist Julian Trevelyan. Their working studio home at Durham Wharf became a hub of artistic activity in West London. She would later become the first woman tutor to teach at Royal College of Art, where David Hockey, Patrick Caulfield, Allen Jones and R.B. Kitaj were all pupils.

Fedden's painting style was characterized by its use of bold, bright colours, simplified forms, and playful, whimsical subject matter. Her work often featured still-life objects, landscapes, and animals, and was deeply influenced by her travels in Italy and France. Whilst her style would become increasingly rooted in the British modernist tradition, her work also showed the influence of other art movements, including Post-Impressionism and Fauvism.

Fedden's unique combination of playfulness and elegance painting were distinctive for their ability to capture the beauty and simplicity of everyday life, and for their ability to convey a sense of joy and optimism.