Bath Markets and Festivals

Brighten up your day with Bath Markets and Festivals

May 12 

 

Bath’s Markets and Festivals will be on view at Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Victoria Art Gallery in a forthcoming exhibition which opens on Saturday 26 May 2012.

 

Colourful street market scenes and local festivals, which will be familiar to many residents of and visitors to Bath, are brought to life in the exhibition of work by French-born artist Richard Burel.

 

A former winner of the Bath Society of Artists Public Choice Prize in 2003, Richard’s pictures often feature busy scenes with quirky characters to draw viewers in.

 

His “Bath Markets and Festivals” show will include up to 30 new works, the majority inspired by local events and people. One painting, entitled “Ripe and Juicy” features the colourful fruit and vegetable stall in Kingsmead Square, Bath. Richard Burel previously exhibited at the Gallery in 2006.

 

Councillor Cherry Beath (Lib-Dem, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “This talented young artist is able to capture the atmosphere of a fun day in Bath, and looking at his colourful paintings is a great way to brighten up the day. Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Victoria Art Gallery is in the middle of a very exciting period where it will be showcasing the work of a wide variety of artists. Residents and visitors will find much to keep them entertained at the Gallery this summer season.”

 

Richard was born in Rouen, France, in 1974 and moved to Bradford-on-Avon near Bath in 2000. The work on show is mainly acrylic, with pastels, inks and collage added to the painting to develop texture and colour. All works are for sale.

 

Jon Benington, Manager of the Victoria Art Gallery, said: “Completely self-taught, Burel recreates Georgian streetscapes using collage and paint. His French temperament comes to the fore in the shape of humorous observations and simple narratives. The figures and details in his pictures are ones that have either amused him or fired his imagination. You always feel that you would like to visit or indeed re-visit a Richard Burel scene.”

 

The opening of the Richard Burel show marks the start of a further major exhibition at the Gallery titled ‘Sculpture and Sport: A Celebration for 2012’.  A stunning collection of bronze sculptures created by thirty top British sculptors, each one features a different Olympic or Paralympic sport.

 

Both exhibitions run until Sunday 1 July. The Victoria Art Gallery, near Pulteney Bridge in Bath, is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sundays 1.30pm to 5pm and closed on Mondays. Admission is free. For more details call 01225 477233 or visit the Gallery’s website http://www.victoriagal.org.uk/

 

ENDS

Image: Richard Burel, Bric a Brac, Walcot Street