Fred has devoted his life to expressing the fleeting impressions of his surroundings, often painting the South Coast of England around Hastings and Rye where he lives. He also continues to paint regularly in Italy.
History
Fred Cuming was born in 1930 in London and trained at the Sidcup School of Art between 1945 and 1949. After National Service he studied at the Royal College of Art for four years and was awarded the Abbey Travel Scholarship to visit Rome. In 1969 he was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Academy, becoming a full member in 1974. At that time, he was the yougest member ever elected. Fred has also been a member of the New English Art Club since 1960.
Fred has exhibited widely since his first one-man show at Thackeray Gallery, London, and has work in private and public collections internationally. In 2001 he was given the honour of being the ‘Featured Artist’ in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, with an entire gallery of his own. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts at the University of Kent in Canterbury.
Teaching
Fred has taught extensively, starting at the Harrow School of Art in 1956. In the following years, he also taught part-time at Maidstone (and Rochester) School of Art (1957); Wathlemstow Art College (1958 – 60); Hornsey Art School (1960 – 65); Leicester School of Art 1(1976); Farnham School of Art (1978 – 83).
From 1977 through to 1985, Fred worked full-time at the Metropole Gallery, Folkestone. Here, he assisted “the Great John Eveleigh”, the brains and energy behind a terrific program of exhibitions at the gallery, unequalled in the South East. Exhibiting artists at the Metropole at that time included Henry Moore, Stanley Spencer, Sir Sidney Nolan, Sir Peter Blake and Eduardo Paolozzi.
Courtesy of the artist’s website.