Francis John Minton, born in 1917, was an English painter, illustrator, stage designer and teacher. He trained in France and returned to London to become a teacher, all while creating a large number of artworks.

Minton painted in the Neo-Romantic style, producing a remarkable amount of large-scale landscapes and portraits. He also quickly gained a reputation for his skills as book and posters illustrator.

From the 1940s onwards, Minton became a well-respected figure as a tutor at Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Arts and Crafts, and the Royal College of Art, a post that he held until the year before his death. It was at the RCA that Minton met Keith Cunningham, describing him as ‘one of the most gifted painters to have worked at the Royal College’.

Suffering from mood swings and addiction to alcohol, in 1957, at the age of 39, he took his own life.