Sir Elton John writes personal letter to Falmouth Art Gallery

10:46am Thursday 15th May 2008

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International singing superstar Sir Elton John has written a personal letter to Falmouth Art Gallery, in which he speaks of his "delight" at sharing his collection of Henry Scott Tuke paintings with the world.

Sir Elton has lent his usually private collection of work to help form a major exhibition shared between Falmouth Art Gallery and the Royal Cornwall Museum.

Although currently on tour in Australia and unable to visit the exhibition, Sir Elton sent his representative Kevin O'Duffy to visit the Catching the Light display. During his visit, Mr O'Duffy delivered a letter to the Falmouth gallery, from Sir Elton.

In the letter Sir Elton, an avid collector of Falmouth artist Tuke's works since the late 1970s, has written: "I understand that this is the biggest show of Tuke's work for 50 years, here in the UK, and the largest ever collection of his work in one county.

"This year, we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth and I am delighted to be able to share some of my collection with an appreciative public and one that holds this artist dear; the most famous artist of Cornwall. I regard Henry Scott Tuke as one of the great British Impressionists and on a par with our friends across the Channel!"

Sir Elton continued that while Tuke's paintings of Cornish youth were in some ways the most famous of his works, he believed the narrative paintings of life onboard ship were "a force to be reckoned with" as they captured a way of life that was now, on the whole, lost.

"Tuke's paintings of boys boating and bathing, by the sun-drenched beaches of Falmouth, evoke a lost era of innocence and a lack of self-consciousness," he added.

A total of 11 works belonging to Sir Elton are included in exhibition, including the famous Midsummer Morning that is on display in Falmouth.

The Catching the Light - The Sunshine Paintings of Henry Scott Tuke exhibition, shared between the two venues, has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Bonhams and can be viewed until July 12.