National Railway Museum exhibits Terence Cuneo

Sunday, 23 December 2007 10:12

York, UK - The National Railway Museum (NRM) in York is celebrating a first for the North, with the display of a famous painting by railway artist Terence Cuneo.Waterloo, the artist’s largest painting, is set to be the focal point of an exciting new exhibition at the NRM celebrating Cuneo’s work. On exhibition through 30 April, 2008.

The painting, which depicts the bustling concourse of Waterloo Station in the 1960s, will be accessible to the public for the first time since 1996, the year Cuneo died.

Northern art lovers are particularly in for a treat, as the gigantic 20ft by 10ft canvas has never been shown outside of London – the painting was commissioned by the Science Museum in 1967 and was displayed for nearly 30 years in the Land Transport Gallery before being put into storage in Wroughton, Wiltshire for 11 years.

Russell Holloway, projects developer at the NRM, explains:” Although Cuneo was the official artist at the 1953 Coronation and a professional painter to both royalty and the military, it is his longstanding fascination with railways for which he is renowned. It seemed only fitting that one of his best known railway works is set to be displayed at the home of railway, the National Railway Museum.“

The exhibition marks the 2007 centenary of Cuneo’s birth and consists of nine panels describing the life and work of the artist, including a focus on Waterloo .The canvas was painted from the then boardroom of British Rail Southern Region, and shares its perspective with earlier works by Helen Mackie – Waterloo War and Waterloo Peace. The work is perhaps most famous for its telling portrayal of key figures at the time - Prime Minister Harold Wilson and French President Charles de Gaulle both make notable appearances as well as the artist himself, paint brushes and easel in hand.

Cuneo was also famous for putting a mouse in his paintings; this first appeared in 1953 and subsequently in most of his paintings thereafter. He was appointed OBE in 1987 and CVO in 1994. A statue to his memory at Waterloo Station was unveiled in October 2004.

Director of the National Railway Museum, Andrew Scott, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming such a prestigious work of art to the NRM and we feel the Cuneo exhibition will appeal to art lovers, art students and families alike.”

Visit National Railway Museum (NRM) at : www.nrm.org.uk/