Art gallery for Sir Kyffin opens

Sir Kyffin Williams had been involved in the museum's design and location

A £1.5m gallery has opened dedicated to the life and works of the late Welsh artist Sir Kyffin Williams.

Oriel Kyffin Williams has been built at Oriel Ynys Mon, Llangefni on Anglesey, where the artist was born and lived.

Sir Kyffin, who died of cancer in September 2006 at the age of 88, was widely regarded as the leading Welsh artist of his generation.

The first exhibition features works by the artist from national, public and private collections.

Built in the courtyard of the neighbouring gallery, plans for the project were supported and informed by Sir Kyffin himself, who was involved in its location and design before his death.

He donated 400 individual works of art to Oriel Ynys Mon and these form the basis of the new gallery's exhibition programme.

Prof Derec Llwyd Morgan, chairman of the Sir Kyffin Williams Trust, said the trust was delighted Anglesey had chosen to honour one of its sons "in such a magnificent manner".

The new gallery will also provide a major boost for the arts on Anglesey Coun Phil Fowlie, Anglesey council leader

"I'm certain that Kyffin would have been immensely proud of this gallery, which now forms a fitting tribute to his legacy as an artist," he said.

Anglesey council leader Coun Phil Fowlie said the gallery would serve as a permanent home for the donated art.

"The new gallery will also provide a major boost for the arts on Anglesey, and allow the people of Wales and beyond to share and enjoy Kyffin Williams' life work," he said.

The trust also plans to hold a series of annual lectures and a competition for young painters in memory of Sir Kyffin.

Oils

He was best known for his stark oils portraying his native north Wales.

The gallery was funded by a number of public and private bodies and individuals including the Arts Council of Wales and the Anglesey Charitable Trust.

It was also supported by the assembly government which decided the gallery should be set up after Oriel Ynys Mon said it did not have enough room to display all his work.

Since his death, interest in Sir Kyffin's work has increased. In 2007, two of his oils sold for more than £30,000 each.