John Bellany exhibition at Glasgow's Gaia Gallery

Oct 18 2010 By Carla Callaghan

NEWLY opened art gallery Gaia will be presenting a night with the work of celebrated Scottish artist, John Bellany.

Gaia Gallery will be exhibiting some of his renowned work this Saturday (October 23 starting at 5pm), providing art lovers with a unique insight into his paintings.

Born in Port Seton, 1942, and now residing in Barga, Italy - Bellany studied at Edinburgh College of Art before going on to have his work exhibited in galleries from Cambridge to Boston.

Despite ill health, which resulted in a liver transplant,  Bellany has continued to paint and it is thought that his ill health has also inspired some of his work.

Beautiful colours and imagery of fishing boats often appear in Bellany's work - harking back to his upbringing as a fisherman's son on the East coast of Scotland.

Gaia Gallery

Situated on Bath Street, Gaia is nestled on the top floor above The Tea Rooms and is a beautifully welcoming space featuring a varied collection including pencil, oil and sculptured work.

A joint project by Glasgow restaurateur and former Big Brother contestant, Federico Martone and Kosovan artist and lecturer, Shahin Memishi, the men are keen to use Gaia as a platform for artists.

They say: “Our philosophy is to represent artists, to make sure they have a platform, they’re promoted and they can come to the gallery to have a dialogue and have a say in how they’re work is presented.”

Showcasing some of Scotland's most promising young artists, Gaia has also become the main stage for accomplished artists such as Shahin Menishi and Valentin Petrov and now, Scotland's most famous painter, John Bellany.

To see some of the work exhibited at Gaia, please visit their website by clicking here