Family Group Oil on Board by Duffy Ayers
April brings the start of a new season at the Fry Art Gallery. Our exhibition in the main gallery ‘Finding a Home at the Fry’ has been curated by Ella Ravilious and celebrates art and design depicting and made for the domestic space. Women artists and their efforts to sustain their creative outputs while trying to live up to traditional expectations of child-rearing and supporting their husbands feature strongly in the exhibition. Duffy Ayers was born Elizabeth Fitzgerald, and studied at the Central School in London. Aged 21, she married Michael Rothenstein and moved to Great Bardfield, where she helped with his printmaking and mural painting, while juggling domestic duties and her own painting career. The pair separated in the mid 1950s and Duffy married Eric Ayers, a graphic artist. They moved to London where her solo career took off, with her works frequently appearing at the Royal Academy. The Fry is lucky enough to have a few examples of her later oil paintings, often featuring enigmatic groups of figures depicted in an almost abstract way. Family Group shown here appears in the exhibition ‘Finding a Home at the Fry’ – do come and enjoy it!
Finding a Home at the Fry is open between April 6th and October 26th 2025. Entry to the gallery is free of charge. See visiting us for our opening hours.