Donald hamilton fraser biography

Donald Hamilton Fraser

British painter

Donald Hamilton Fraser

Born(1929-07-30)30 July 1929
Died2 September 2009(2009-09-02) (aged 80)

Henley on Thames, United Kingdom

Known for

Donald Hamilton FraserRA (30 July 1929, London – 2 September 2009), was a British artist famed for his abstract landscape paintings.

Training and education

As an adolescent, Fraser attended the Maidenhead Grammar School in Berkshire, England. In the late 1940s, he worked at the Sunday Times as an editorial trainee while completing his National Service. From 1949 to 1952, Fraser trained at London's Saint Martin's School of Art[1] together with contemporaries including Frank Auerbach, Sandra Blow, Sheila Fell, Leon Kossoff, Jack Smith, and Joe Tilson.[2]

Career

Anthony Blunt and John Piper were among assessors that awarded Hamilton Fraser a one-year French government scholarship in Paris in 1953. Also in 1953, his premier solo exhibition was given at Gimpel Fils, London. In 1955, Fraser returned to England and fo

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Painter, printmaker, writer and teacher, born in London. He studied at St Martin’s School of Art, 1949–52, having his first solo show at Gimpel Fils in 1953. Showed frequently there and at Paul Rosenberg & Co in New York and elsewhere abroad in mixed exhibitions. The ballet and landscape were common themes in his work, which was largely figurative and influenced by the School of Paris, where he studied under a French Government Scholarship, 1953–4. Taught at Royal College of Art, 1957–83. Was elected RA in 1985 and was a member of Royal Fine Art Commission in 1986. There was a print retrospective at CCA Galleries, 2000. He shared an exhibition with Tom Coates at W H Patterson, 2003, having had a 50-year retrospective there in 2002. His wife Judy was also an artist.

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Arts Council holds his work. Lived in London.

Text source: 'Artists in Britain Since 1945' by David Buckman (Art Dictionaries Ltd, part of Sansom & Company)


Donald Hamilton Fraser

Donald Hamilton Fraser’s predominant subject matter is landscape, with his approach and techniques varying as widely as the climates and atmospheres he captures. His affinity with Scotland’s heritage and spirit are as integral to his works as his love for French painting; influences that are greatly reflected in both Fraser’s style and execution. The artist often places gentle washes of colour next to hard edge and bright impasto, creating landscapes that remain close to their origins but are charmingly translated into abstract, almost dream-like fields of colour. Fraser’s approach to painting meant his works were considered over time, ensuring a piece is produced in spirit of the place rather than in accordance with its geographical detail. After spending such a significant amount of time along the Scottish coastline, the natural beauty of the landscape combined with the overwhelming power of the turbulent Atlantic continued to give the artist great inspiration for depicting drama and grandeur in his artworks.

 

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