The great and the good turned out for a champagne launch of an exhibition of Basildon's hidden art treasures last night.
An array of 67 works were mysteriously given to the townspeople by an American cigarette manufacturer in 1978.
Artistic - Basildon Arts Trust's Peter Patterson unpacks another exhibit Picture: DAVE HENDERSON
Works from this Basildon Art Trust now grace the walls of the Towngate Theatre for the first time.
Trustee Peter Patterson said: "We want to bring the art to Basildon because it belongs to the people of Basildon.
"We want them to come and look at the exbibits to open their perspectives."
The collection boasts works by Dame Elizabeth Frink, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Edward Bawden and William Scott.
A watercolour by Thundersley-born artist Richard Sorrell has made the collection.
The trust also has the original sketch of the Owl and Pussycat Clock, which is now in the Eastgate Centre, Basildon, and a pen-and-ink drawing of Basildon Town Centre detailed in 1977.
Published Thursday, June 19, 2003
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