'Celebration exhibition' to open at Stanley Spencer Gallery

A 'celebration exhibition' will launch tomorrow (Thursday) at the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham High Street, with a huge mix of the artist's paintings available for display.

The  gallery has focused on marketing the new exhibit on a 'bring a friend' theme, encouraging fans of Spencer to bring people who might not normally go.

Yesterday (Tuesday), Claire Philpott, who works for the gallery, invited regular Mary-Lou Kellaway, a parish councillor, and her council colleague, Christine Jannetta, who had not visited for a while, and was not always keen on some of Spencer's works.

Claire said: "You get people coming from Australia, Canada, al over the world.

"You talk to a neighbour and they have never been."

The exhibit looks to mix up his works, combining some of the religious works and placing them right next to landscapes of the village.

Cllr Jannetta said: "I just find some of his work a little strange, but actually if you look at the detail that has been put in these landscapes it is quite phenomenal."