A COLLECTION of paintings commissioned to record the British landscape at the outbreak of the Second World War is to start a national tour in the North-East.

The Recording Britain collection of drawings and watercolours, owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, was initiated by Sir Kenneth Clark, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and compiled as the country faced the potentially devastating impact of war.

More than 90 artists, including men and women, young and old and professionals and amateurs, contributed to the project between 1933 and 1943.

Among the contributors were John Piper, Charles Knight, Michael Rothenstein, Kenneth Rowntree, Stanley Badmin, Barbara Jones and Phyllis Dimond.

The resulting 1,500 works feature quite villages, busy market towns, ancient churches and country inns, embodying what Brits were fighting for.

The touring exhibition will be at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, in Aykley Heads, Durham City, from Friday, March 29, to Sunday, June 30.

Selected works will be displayed alongside books from the period and photographs taken for the National Monuments record in the 1940s.

Works by contemporary artists such as Conrad Atkinson, David Nash, Richard Long, Keith Arnatt and Ingrid Pollard are also included.

For more information, call the venue on 0191-384-2214 or visit durham.gov.uk/dli

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