News
Friday, July 23, 2010

The West Collection

There is currently a superb range of visual art exhbitions on the Island - both at Quay Arts, Newport and at Dimbola Lodge, Freshwater.

The West Collection - A Quay Vision is now on show in the Michael West Gallery at Quay Arts. The exhibition explores Quay Arts history and cultural heritage and showvases work from some of Britain and America's leading contemporary artists. The superb collection belonged to General Sir Michael West (after whom the gallery is named ) and Lady West. The couple were instrumental in the establishment of Quay Arts in the late seventies. The West's colected paintings and ceramics for over forty years. Having retired to the Island, they led the campaign to turn a drelict 19th century brewery warehose and transform it imto what is today Quay Arts.

Also, currently in the Rope Store Gallery at the Quay is an exhibition by Mike and Christine West's daughter Carinthia. In the seventies, Carinthia as a model and actress spent time with some of the world's leading musicians, and photographed them on her single reflex Canon camera. Many of these musicians became Carinthia's close friends. The exhibition contains phgotogrpahs of David Bowie, Carly Simon, James Taylor. Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Neil Young and the Pink Floyd pig.

Vic King