We are very sorry to report the death of Fred Beckett (1933 – 2025) who was a major
figure in the art world, firstly as Finance Director of Winsor & Newton, then in his own career
as a painter. Fred served a term as President of the ROI and was a member of the RSMA
and Hon. Member of both the RI and the RBA. He was elected to the Wapping Group in
1998 and organised a noted Group exhibition at The Guildhall which was devoted to the
Cutty Sark.
An East Anglian, Fred always loved that landscape and his work often featured the spacious
East Coast skies.

We are very sorry to record the passing of Steven Alexander (1951 – 2025), who was elected a Member in 2006, and served as Secretary from 2008 until 2015.  Steve, who comes from a family of artists but who first made his own career as a highly successful head of the Spanish Department at Hampton School, was well known for his absolute dedication to painting and his huge output of work. Steve suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, which he bore with great courage for many years while continuing to paint.

A new art exhibition, ‘Afloat or Ashore’, opens at Exeter Custom House on 12th April 2025. This exhibition showcases the winning and best entries from last year’s art competition of the same name, and celebrates historic vessels from around the UK.

The competition and exhibition are a partnership between the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Wapping Group of Artists, and National Historic Ships UK. 

The exhibition is showing at Exeter Custom House from 12th April – 11 May 2025, and entry is FREE. 

The Custom House is open every day from 10am-5pm