A rare self-portrait and humourous record and celebration of Fred Yates' 2 years association with Thompson's Gallery in London since his first London solo exhibition at that gallery in 1992.
Fred would quite often place himself within his works but self-portraits, like this example from 1994, are rarer. Thompson's Gallery, referenced in the painting, represented the artist and was at the time in Albermarle Street in central London. Fred’s first solo exhibition was in 1976 at the Reynolds Gallery in Plymouth. In the mid to late 1980s the artist's public and critical acceptance grew and was confirmed by his inclusion in the 1985 exhibition, St Ives 1939–64 at the Tate in London. In 1992 Thompson’s Gallery gave Fred his first London Solo exhibition followed by another in 1994 and this portrait, with its '1992-1994' inscription, is a celebration of those 2 years' association with the gallery, although the artist humourously notes that 2 years on he is, 'Older - but not wiser'. A lovely bold portrait rich in the impasto brushwork and colour for which Fred was and remains renowned - and an historic record of the artist's increasing popularity and commercial success.