Welcome
The Fry Public Art Gallery was opened in 1987 and houses an impressive number of paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present day who have local connections and have made a significant contribution to their field. There is an emphasis on those who for a variety of reasons settled in Great Bardfield between the early thirties of the last century and the death in 1983 of John Aldridge RA who had lived in the village for fifty years.
The Gallery is run by volunteers, both invigilators when it is open to the public and other helpers throughout the year. Please contact us if you would like to become more involved.
The Fry Art Gallery is now closed for 2023. We re-open on Sunday April 7th 2024 with these exhibitions:
Great Bardfield and Beyond: A Working Landscape, in the main gallery, and Working Women – The Art of Sheila Robinson & Chloë Cheese in the Gibson Room.
Film by Thomas Völker © 2022
Online Shop
The Fry’s online shop has a range of gifts, from textiles to books.
Please click HERE for more information.
The Fry receives no regular funding. Should you wish to contribute to our running costs, please use the button below.
Become a member
If you would like to become a Fry Gallery Member you can now do so online. Please choose an option below.
Visit the Collection
Browse the Fry Gallery collection online here.
News and Events
Fry Art Gallery Lectures: Amanda Stone on Olga Lehmann
Olga Lehmann: A Life in Art and Film A talk by Amanda Stone Friday 1st December at 7.30pm Friends Meeting House, High Street, Saffron Walden CB10 1AA Tickets £6.00 at: https://the-fry-art-gallery.arttickets.org.uk/ or on the door
The Fry Art Gallery Gifts Sale
Saturday 2nd December, 10.30am to 1pm, at the Fry Art Gallery. The final event at the Gallery for this year is our Christmas gift sale, where you can view and buy a range of items available exclusively from the Fry Art Gallery including: Ravilious wood-engravings...
Work of the month
Work of the month: Autumn by Edward Bawden
Lino print on paper, 1950 A typically ebullient and Bardfield-themed picture this month from Edward Bawden. As well as showing off Bawden's graphical skill, the print demonstrates how he used a simple colour palette to bring an image to life. This seasonal linocut...
Work of the month: October by Richard Bawden
Colour Aquatint and Etching Richard Bawden works in various media including watercolour, etching, linocut and also glass engraving. He has produced illustrations for many books, as well as murals, mosaics and furniture. He is closely linked with the 'Bardfield...
Work of the month: September Leaves by Chloë Cheese
September Leaves Lithograph. 1985 Chloë Cheese, illustrator, artist and printmaker was born in London and grew up in Great Bardfield, Essex. Her parents Sheila Robinson and Bernard Cheese were both artists and lived in the village with fellow artists Edward Bawden,...
Exhibitions
A World of Private Mystery: British Neo-Romantics
8th July – 29th October 2023 Apart from the Great Bardfield Artists, after the end of World War II, north west Essex became the home for a later group of younger, more radical artists, embracing neo-romantic ideals. These were Michael Ayrton, Robert Colquhoun, Robert...
Art and Design
2nd April - 29th October 2023 Art and Design will draw from our Permanent Collection works which emphasise the contribution which the artists made to British design.
Visiting us
Opening Times
The Gallery is now closed for the 2023 season. We re-open on Sunday 7th April, 2024.
Admission is free.
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 2pm – 5pm |
| Wednesday | 2pm – 5pm |
| Thursday | 2pm – 5pm |
| Friday | 2pm – 5pm |
| Saturday | 11am – 5pm |
| Sunday and bank holidays | 2pm – 5pm |
Contact us
We would be delighted to hear from you and you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The links are in the footer below.
Location
