Over the years Terry Lee’s painting became more figurative, lyrical and contemplative View image in fullscreen Over the years Terry Lee’s painting became more figurative, lyrical and contemplative Other lives Painting Obituary Terry Lee obituary Jeremy Lee Thu 22 Oct 2026 21.53 CEST Last modified on Thu 22 Oct 2026 21.56 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google My father, Terry Lee, who has died aged 93, was an art lecturer at Sheffield College of Art in South Yorkshire for almost three decades, and a well-regarded painter for more than half a century.
In his early years he was associated with the “Kitchen Sink” painters , who portrayed ordinary people in scenes of everyday life. But as his work evolved it became more figurative, lyrical and contemplative, and was influenced by landscape, music and literature.
Terry’s early success came with inclusion in John Berger’s Looking Forward exhibition in 1956 and prize-winning entries in successive John Moores exhibitions, but the creative energy to paint continued across five decades as he produced successive collections of work and exhibited at a series of London galleries, including the New Art Centre, Agnew’s and the Piccadilly Gallery during the 1960s and 70s.
In the 80s he was included in the British Art Show, curated by the critic William Packer, and a series of exhibitions in Maastricht in the Netherlands. A retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Wildenstein Gallery in London in 1992.
View image in fullscreen Sheffield River by Terry Lee, oil on canvas, 1980 Terry was born in Sheffield to George, a draughtsman for Firth Brown Steels, and Phylis (nee Senior), a housewife. He went to King Edward VII school and began his creative life at Sheffield College of Art in 1953, progressing to the Slade School of Art in 1955, after which he taught at his old college from 1958 until he took early retirement in 1986.
At the Slade School of Art, Terry had met fellow Sheffield artist Rosie Peters. They married in London in 1956 before returning to Sheffield, eventually settling in a dilapidated farmhouse at Calton Houses near Chatsworth in Derbyshire. There they raised four sons and worked on their art.
Beyond painting Terry loved the hills. He was a rock climber, and an early series of abstract paintings reflected this, taking inspiration from Heinrich Harrer’s book The White Spider, detailing early attempts to climb the Eiger’s infamous north face. Terry passed this passion on to his sons, whom he took on climbing trips to local Derbyshire crags and farther afield to north Wales and the Dolomites.
His marriage to Rosie ended in separation in the mid-70s; afterwards he met the artist Pamela Firth, and they married in 1998. The last chapter of his life was lived out in the mountainous beauty and solitude of Spain’s Costa Blanca, where both he and Pam continued to paint, taking inspiration from a landscape full of light.
Terry is survived by Pam and three sons, Daniel, Dominic and me, from his first marriage. His fourth and eldest son, Adam, predeceased him.