Fred Yates 1922 – 2008
A Collection of Work from His Estate
Fred Yates, born Frederick Joseph Yates, was an English artist born in Urmston, Lancashire. His paintings are included in many private and public collections both at home and abroad. After serving in the Second World War Yates took up painting on his return to Manchester, much in the vein of L.S. Lowry, although he strove for recognition in his own right, he achieved this in his later years. By 1970 Yates was living and working as a painter in Cornwall where he painted almost exclusively outdoors. It was around this time that Yates’ commercial success began after the ‘St Ives 1939-64” exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. In the early 1990s Yates moved to France and after many moves bought a house in Drome, Rhone-Alpes, where the light and air were more suited to a man in his 80s. Despite his advanced age he continued to paint regularly and travel widely right up until his death. Yates died of a heart attack on returning to England in 2008. He is buried in one of his favourite spots in Cornwall overlooking St Michael’s Mount. A Fred Yates Society has been established to assist in preserving and promoting his work.