WEST MIDLANDS, UK.- A new exhibition featuring work by the Birmingham born artist, Bernard Fleetwood Walker (1893-1965) will open on the 20 January 2007 at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. This is the very first ‘Spotlight’ exhibition at the gallery, which explores in detail a particular strand of an artist’s work; this show will be all about his life and work in the 1930s.

The paintings show how families used to spend their time together in the 1930s, in contrast to how we live today. Visitors will be able to look back in time and find out why going for a walk and picnic in the country was so fashionable, and why people aspired to live a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. The exhibition also features portraits of a famous local family, the Butlers who set up the midlands based brewery Mitchells and Butlers.

Vicky Godfrey says: “We are really pleased to present the final exhibition before the grand opening on 31 March, with something that will appeal to families and local audiences. Many people from the region will remember Bernard Fleetwood Walker through his previous links with Wolverhampton, and it is a great chance to see what life was like for the middle classes in the 1930s.”

Bernard Fleetwood Walker was a popular artist who shot to fame during his lifetime as a talented portrait painter. Highlights of his many accomplishments include becoming president of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1950, exhibiting over a 140 times at the Royal Academy and becoming the Head of Painting at the Birmingham School of Arts and Crafts.