Elisabeth Frink Birdman About 1960 © The Executors of the Frink Estate and Archive. All rights reserved, DACS, London 2023

Biography

Born 1930
Died 1993
Nationality English
Birth place Thurlow
Death place Blandford Forum

Elisabeth Frink’s artistic career was launched at the age of twenty-two with her first solo exhibition. Linked with the group of post-war British sculptors that included Reg Butler and Eduardo Paolozzi, she is perhaps best known for her expressionistic animal figures and popular public sculpture commissions. Born in Suffolk, Frink studied in Guildford and at the Chelsea School of Art. Her childhood in the countryside influenced a preference for naturalistic subjects, particularly birds, dogs and horses as well as male figures. She also lived near an RAF air base during the Second World War, which sparked a life-long fascination with flight. Themes of aggression and masculinity are explored in Frink’s sculptures and prints.