Malthouse Gallery will feature the work of Valerie Burden

Midweek Herald: In Dulwich Art Gallery by Valerie Barden.In Dulwich Art Gallery by Valerie Barden. (Image: Archant)

The Malthouse Gallery at Lyme Regis Town Mill will be hosting ‘Galleries - a unique and apposite exhibition of paintings by English artist Valerie Barden - from September 8 to 25,

Her works are portraits of people visiting public spaces like art galleries for the purpose of looking at things.

People in galleries is a subject that has been treated by various artists in the past, but Valerie came to the subject simply by sitting for long periods in art galleries - and shopping centres - and thinking of pictures she could make of people standing or sitting fairly still in front of static paintings and objects, of the correspondence between viewer and exhibits, or simply figures as contrasting shapes against interesting architecture.

Although painted in a figurative manner, her work is imbued with the qualities of abstraction and flatness that are hallmarks of modern art.

This exhibition has been curated by Deborah Wood of The Art Room, is open daily from 10.30am until 4.30pm, is free to visit, and further details can be found on www.townmillarts.co.uk or www.theartroomtopsham.co.uk