Top UK artist Edward Bell in Shropshire exhibition
One of the UK's most famous artists – whose work has appeared alongside paintings by Tracey Emin, Damien Hurst and David Hockney – is opening a new exhibition in Shropshire's best restaurant.
Edward Bell, who is a regular visitor to Ludlow, will display pictures from Venice at Mr Underhill's in Ludlow, throughout April.
There will be a private viewing of the paintings on Sunday and Monday before they are viewed throughout the month.
Mr Bell, who once designed album sleeves for David Bowie, said he had spent time out in Venice and Florence and recently returned to Venice to complete his latest exhibition.
He said: "I've spent quite a lot of time in Venice, on and off, over the years. Last year I thought I'd really like to make something of that. I had a lot of photographs that I'd taken over the years and thought I'd be able to paint enough pictures for an exhibition.
"I needed to add to the exhibition by doing something spontaneous so I went back to Venice for a couple of weeks. I didn't go to any cafes or restaurants, I just stayed in my hotel and worked."
Mr Bell took an MA in photography at the Royal College of Art before becoming an artists and working on a number of projects for Vogue and Tatler, as well as designing record sleeves for David Bowie and Hazel O'Connor.
More recently he was among artists including Sir Paul McCartney, David Hockney, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst who produced a postcard, selected by Bernard Williams of Christie's, for the Art of Care Auction in Edinburgh.
Mr Bell added: "Venice is breathtakingly beautiful.
" You walk out of the station and there are no cars, just boats.
"The architecture is extraordinary.
"The light bounces off the water. As you walk through the city, you might see a statue that appears to move, because of the reflection of the water. It's a trick of the light, of course, but it makes it a magical place."
Judy Bradley, at Mr Underhills, said they were delighted to be exhibiting works by one of the UK's greats. Mrs Bradley said: "We are thrilled and we hope that our guests enjoy Edward's work."
