Three paintings by one of the North East's most famous atrists are to be displayed in his home town for the first time.

Norman Cornish is synonymous with County Durham, and Spennymoor in particular, as he was born and bred in the town.

“Old Man With Cap”, “Man Wearing Spectacles” and “Character Study” are now on show at Spennymoor Town Hall’s Bob Abley Gallery, which proudly exhibits a large collection of Cornish art as well as his original studio, complete with paints, furniture and sketches.

Details of the three new exhibits:

Old Man with Cap

  • Oil on Board
  • 24.5 x 23.5 cm 
  • £8,500

(Image: Norman Cornish)Man Wearing Spectacles

  • Charcoal and Chalk on Paper
  • 76 X 56 cm
  • £9,500

(Image: Norman Cornish)Character Study

  • Charcoal and Chalk on Paper
  • 76 X 56 cm
  • £9,500

(Image: Norman Cornish)It has been described as a coup for the community gallery, funded and operated by Spennymoor Town Council.

Interest in the former miner’s works is especially high at the moment, in part following the success of the Bowes Museum’s 'Kith and Kin' exhibition, showcasing the talent and works of Cornish and LS Lowry.

Bob Abley Gallery curator, John Thompson, said: “Cornish is Spennymoor – much of his work perfectly captures these intimate, personal moments of working-class people at that specific point in time, so we are incredibly proud to exhibit and sell so much of his incredible work.

“It is the first time we have shown these three new pieces and I’m certain they will attract a great deal of interest from local people, art lovers and collectors, as new work always does.

“In the last couple of months alone, we’ve sold a number of Norman Cornish originals and I can’t see that interest slowing down at all.

"Thankfully, he was a prolific artist who worked with paint, pastels and was constantly sketching, so there still remains a wealth of unseen work in his collection.”

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Born in 1919 in Spennymoor, in a house with no indoor plumbing, Cornish worked from an early age. Unable to accept a place at The Slade School of Fine Art in London because he was in a ‘reserved occupation’, he left mining in 1966 to study at Sunderland Art College.

Norman Cornish emerged as a professional artist and for 46 years produced incredibly evocative artworks, that Spennymoor Town Hall’s Bob Abley Gallery is proud to exhibit.

Cornish’s work is now greatly appreciated, with enthusiasts lauding its ability to help people take pride in a sense of place, belonging and identity.