Exhibit dedicated to 'worst poet'

Poet William McGonagall is depicted as Marilyn Monroe's lover

An exhibition featuring illustrations of infamous Scottish poet William McGonagall by Edinburgh artist Charles Nasmyth has opened in Dundee.

Titled The Comic Legend of William McGonagall, the exhibit is a series of 36 paintings depicting the poet and his unconventional verse.

Ridiculed by his peers for his use of language, McGonagall has become known as the "worst poet" in history.

The works will be on show at the city's Wighton Centre until 9 June.

McGonagall, who died in September 1902, is most famous for his account of the Tay Bridge Disaster in 1879 when a storm destroyed the bridge as a train passed over it.

I'm sure there will be a lot of interest in the paintings because they are presented almost in a comic book format with lots of buried jokes and illusions David Kett Exhibition in pictures

Combining the absurd with elements of social satire and artistic parody, the illustrations depict McGonagall in a range of roles and settings, including as a romantic partner to Marilyn Monroe or enemy of Hitler.

David Kett, who helped bring the exhibition to Dundee, is a staunch defender of McGonagall and his talents.

He said: "Dundee as a whole is very supportive of McGonagall now because we see him as the voice of the common man telling history as it was.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of interest in the paintings because they are presented almost in a comic book format with lots of buried jokes and illusions."

The exhibition, which is described as a "very personal interpretation of an extraordinary life" is on show in the Wighton Heritage Centre at Dundee's Central Library.