A new take on museum’s most famous pieces (From Warrington Guardian)

Warrington Museum exhibition sees 2012 creations alongside originals

5:50pm Thursday 27th September 2012 in News

NINE of Warrington Museum’s most famous pieces of art are being brought up-to-date in a new exhibition which launches this week.

As part of the second contemporary arts festival to be held in the town, up-and-coming artist Iain Andrews has taken on the task of completing his take on the pictures.

This week they have been hung alongside the originals in the main gallery of the museum ahead of a four-month long display.

The idea came from museum manager Derek Dick who originally suggested one or two works could be recreated.

He said: “I thought of one or two but we agreed on seven.

“When he came to the gallery he saw our large Sleeping Beauty and wanted to do that but he also doesn’t like even numbers so we came up with nine!

“Iain is really into detail, the attention in his work is incredible.

“We want to encourage people to stop and really look at the paintings here and the contrasts. I think it will give people a new look at the existing paintings as well.”

It will be the only time that the paintings will be displayed together, with some already sold while the museum is hoping at least one can be bought and remain in situ.

A catalogue has been put together to go alongside the exhibition and it uniquely contains a fairytale written by Joanne Reardon Lloyd to match in with the pictures.

Iain said: “Stories need to be retold again and again by each new generation that receives them and, as they are retold, narratives inevitably put down roots and throw out branches in unexpected directions.

“This is a small collection of those roots and branches, a series of new paintings and modern folk tales that take their inspiration from, and collaborate with, the museum’s permanent collection of works.”

The show runs until January 12 and opens to the public on Saturday following a private launch tomorrow, Friday.