EXHIBITIONS of work ranging from local painters to Monet are being shown in a packed calendar of events at a County Durham museum.

As well as its permanent displays, the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle is hosting a variety of special showings.

Exhibitions manager Vivien Reid said: "We will be building on a great variety of different topics and a wide range of artists. We are always looking at different things and how we can make them into interesting exhibitions.

"It is about looking at new angles and ideas and seeing what comes out of them."

A highlight of the year will be an exhibition called Boudin, Monet and the Sea-Painters of Normandy, from May 29 to August 30.

From April 3 to May 4, Grand Designs will look at the history of some of the great gardens and their designers in the North-East. The exhibition will be guest curated by garden historian Fiona Green.

Local artist Tony Clark will be exhibiting some of his new work from June 12 to September 12.

A permanent addition to the museum's collection is a collection of 18th Century English Porcelain formed between the two world wars by Lady Ludlow, a society hostess who knew Queen Mary, which reflects the opulent taste of the time.

A display called Toulouse-Lautrec and the Art of the French Poster, which open in September, will highlight the work of the French artist and the 19th Century fashion for poster art from Paris.

Other events include exhibitions on decorative small textiles, on 19th Century summer fashions, work by Yorkshire sculptors and a collection of work in different mediums by contemporary artists.

For further information call (0183) 690606 or visit the Bowes Museum's website at www.bowesmuseum.org.uk.

Published: 27/01/2004