The apse of Avila Cathedral

The painter, draughtsman and printmaker Hester Frood (1882-1971) was born in New Zealand and came to Britain at the age of seven. She was educated at Exeter High School and studied art in the city and later, for six months, at the Atelier Colarossi, Paris. She was taught etching by the famous D.Y. Cameron, well represented in Te Papa's collection, whom she met in Scotland in 1906. She exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Scottish Academy and had her first one-woman show at the prestigious Bond Street print dealers Colnagi's in 1925 and another at Dunthorne's in 1927. In the 1940s she had two exhibitions in Glasgow and 1946-9 showed further with Colnaghi's. Latterly she lived in Topsham, Devon. The Fry Gallery held an exhibition of her work in 1990. The V&A and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art hold examples of her work, as well as the British Museum.

This drypoint, depicting the apse of Avila Cathedral, Spain and its immediate surroundings and passers-by, explains why Cameron so admired Frood. Both in its architectural conviction and technically in her use of drypoint, it compares not unfavourably with her near contemporary Louis Conrad Rosenberg, who is well-represented in Te Papa's collection. Ávila was also a favourite locale of another contemporary, Lionel Lindsay (see Te Papa 1952-0003-36 and 1971-0012-10).

See:  British Museum, 'Hester Frood (Biographical details)', https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=124475

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   November 2018