NEWS RELEASE
PR 1721
For Immediate
Release
11 May 2004
Ladybird Books:
The Art of John Berry
FOR anyone
growing up in the 1960s or 1970s, Ladybird Books were a
quintessential part of childhood.
And from Saturday, May 15 to Sunday,
July 18 visitors to the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath can indulge in
a nostalgic treat by visiting a new exhibition of paintings from
Ladybird Books by artist John Berry.
The Bath & North East Somerset
Council-run art gallery is delighted that it has been able to obtain
38 of Berry’s much sought-after illustrations for a range of books
including the extensive People at Work series.
Thanks to a highly successful public
appeal for Ladybird titles, the watercolours will be displayed in
the exhibition alongside the books they illustrate.
Jon Benington, Curator of the
Victoria Art Gallery, said: “John Berry’s paintings are a
magnificent glimpse of times gone by.
“Most of the pictures on show in
this exhibition are from the Easy Reading People at Work series that
included books such as Car Makers, Navy, Police, Scouts and Learning
to Ride.
“These books, together with John
Berry’s art, helped to educate a whole generation of children and
Bath & North East Somerset Council is sure that visitors of all ages
will find this a treat!”
John Berry was born in 1920 and
studied at the Royal Academy Schools. He joined the RAF in 1940 and
served as a war artist attached to the 8th Army – four of his
paintings from this period are held by the Imperial War Museum in
London.
Throughout the 1960s he was a
principal illustrator for Ladybird Books and, as well as the People
at Works series, he illustrated Black Beauty, the Hannibal Hamster
series and several travelogue books about London, Denmark, France
and Holland.
He has also painted a number of
important portrait commissions including The Queen, Duke of
Edinburgh and Princess Diana.
Full details about the exhibition
are available on the Gallery’s website at
www.victoriagal.org.uk
or by calling 01225 477233.
The Victoria Art Gallery is open
Tuesday to Friday 10am-5.30pm, Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm.
The Gallery is closed on Monday and admission is free.
Notes to Editors:
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s
art gallery houses the area’s permanent collection of British and
European art from the 15th century to the present day.
The Gallery has one of the best
temporary exhibition programmes in the region, ranging from prints
to sculpture, including national touring exhibitions and major
retrospectives. There are frequent workshops, holiday activities and
a full programme for schools.
For further
information and images contact:
Jon Benington,
Curator of the Victoria Art Gallery, on Tel: 01225 477772 or e-mail
jon_benington@bathnes.gov.uk
Patricia Dunlop, Commercial
Marketing Manager - Heritage Services, on Tel: 01225 477759 or
e-mail patricia_dunlop@bathnes.gov.uk
For comment,
contact:
Cllr Nicole
O’Flaherty, Executive Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, on
Tel: 01225 310341 or e-mail nicole_oflaherty@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath &
North East Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
