Release Date: 18/04/2008
Paintings of borough luminaries from yesteryear sit cheek by jowl with photos and images of today’s residents in a major portrait exhibition at Richmond Council’s Orleans House Gallery.
The Painted Face, which runs until 15 June, is the first exhibition in the new-look exhibition space, upgraded during the regeneration of the Coach House and Stables area.
It features portraits of, among others, explorer and anthropologist, Sir Richard Burton, taken from the Borough Art Collection. Burton’s life and work is commented on by local school children in an accompanying display.
The faces of borough residents take centre stage in the gallery - the results of a Community Portrait Project funded by the Arts Council under its Taking Part Programme. Famous and local artists are also represented with 60 works on show, selected from an open submission.
Admission is free and visitors will also be able to enjoy separate exhibitions in the revamped Stables Gallery.
Cllr John Coombs, Cabinet Member for Youth, Culture and Leisure on Richmond Council, said:
”The new show is a superb blend of art and education that illuminates the borough’s residents past and present.
“The Arts Service once again shows its talent for challenging, outreach work, with contributions from the borough’s school children and a project featuring local people with English as a second or other language.
“The section on Sir Richard Burton, one of the borough’s most eminent figures, is fascinating and reveals the controversy his visits to Mecca aroused in the 19th century.
“Artists from all over the country submitted over 600 pieces for the show in a huge range of styles. The best 60 portraits are also on display
“I urge people to come and enjoy this exhibition and take a look at the excellent new facilities in the regenerated Coach House and Stables.”
To find out more about this or any other exhibition at Orleans House Gallery, please call 020 8831 6000.