*CYNTHIA PELL (1933-1977) 'Examination of Abstract Man'

Cynthia Pell was a figurative artist who studied at Bournemouth Art College and then the Camberwell School of Art. She had a solo show at the Beaux Arts Gallery in 1957, where The Times commended her as "an interesting and original new talent". At the conclusion of the show Pell set fire to the unsold works. Her figural studies, especially the late works, mixed the pain and suffering of humanity and her compassion, perhaps reflecting her own emotional and mental distress. Pell continued working until her suicide at St Bernards Psychiatric Hospital, but much of her output was either destroyed by her or posthumously when her bedsit was cleared. In 1999 artists Natalie Dower, Paula Rego and Evelyn Williams - together with Cynthia's sister Barbara, organised a memorial show of over 100 pictures at Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; others were at Boundary Gallery (2000) and Abbott and Holder (2002).