A top American painter whose work features in museums and galleries across the United States and internationally has been mourned by the Bermuda National Gallery as well as the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.

Janet Fish, who died on Thursday at age 87, came to Bermuda when she was 10.

She attended the Bermuda High School before going off to Smith College and then to Yale University, where she obtained her Master’s in Fine Arts.

Ms Fish told The Royal Gazette during a 1993 visit to her childhood home, for the first time in 20 years: “I think the thing I had forgotten about Bermuda is how lush it is, and how many different kinds of flowers there are.

“It has changed a lot — but every now and then, I recognised something.”

As a realist painter who specialised in the art of still-life renditions, Ms Fish had a keen eye for the natural world.

The BNG, which holds her 1992 screen print, Cherries, in its collection, was “deeply saddened” at her death, saying her “artistic works inspired by the island sit at the apex of her illustrious career as a contemporary artist known especially for vibrant still lifes”.

Jennifer L. Phillips, the executive director, said the artist enjoyed “an intimate relationship with Bermuda”.

“She was the granddaughter of American Impressionist artist Clark Greenwood Voorhees, 1871 to 1933, who had a studio here on the island.

“Fish credited growing up in Bermuda with having a profound effect on her work and the way in which she painted.”

Cherries is part of a larger collection of artworks by female artists gifted to the BNG by Paul and Penne Leseur.

Mrs Leseur recalled the artist’s 1993 visit, adding: “At the time, it was hoped that she would be a part of the 1994 centenary celebrations at the Bermuda High School honouring numerous female artists that were former students of the school.”

She also served as a juror for the BNG’s inaugural Bermuda Biennial, held in 1994.

Ms Phillips added: “Those who may be unfamiliar with the name or the work of Janet Fish should visit the exhibition, which opened last month at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, co-curated by two-time Bermuda Biennial juror Melissa Messina.”

The BNG is to place Cherries on temporary view from today through December 31.

Masterworks, displaying her work in the extensive exhibition, Janet Fish: Place in Time, called her “a contemporary painter whose unique approach to still life reinvigorated the genre and made her a major figure in American art”.

The gallery said she was raised in a family of artists.

“Deciding at a young age that she wanted to be an artist, she spent her formative years studying under resident Bermuda artists such as Byllee Lang and absorbing the island’s singular light and colour, an influence that can be seen in the luminous paintings for which she is known.”

When Ms Fish headed to work in New York, she won critical acclaim and overcame barriers faced by female artists.

The Masterworks exhibition, curated by Sara Thom with Ms Messina, was organised in close collaboration with the artist’s studio and DC Moore Gallery, New York.

The gallery amassed a five-decade survey, the first exhibition of its kind in Bermuda, which opened on November 15 and is on view through April 18.

It will tour US institutions from 2026 to 2028.

Ms Thom said: “It is one of the greatest honours of my career to curate this exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Janet Fish.

“Fish was a true master of painting, with a wholly extraordinary artistic vision and dedication to her craft. I am proud that this exhibition has originated in Bermuda, Fish’s childhood home and a major influence on her art.

“It will now tour to institutions in the United States, where it will be shared with new audiences and act as a testament not only to Fish’s trailblazing career, but also her deep appreciation for the individual impressions and fleeting moments of beauty which compose our lives.”