VISITORS to a Stevenage gallery have a rare opportunity to see work by an artist who served in World War I.

Paintings and drawings by Cecil William Rhodes have been collected at the Boxfield Gallery at Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre in an exhibition which runs until next Saturday, October 13.

The artist, born in 1894, studied at Goldsmith’s College, fought with the Art’s Rifles in the First World War before joining Eric Gill at the Ditchling Commune in 1920.

Cecil was primarily a portrait painter and drawer but went on to produce sculptural work before his death in 1970.

“The summer has been spent driving to many parts of the country collecting work from family members and this a very rare opportunity to see his work,” said exhibition supervisor David Gale, whose wife was Cecil’s granddaughter.

“There have been a couple of small exhibitions in the last thirty years and this one is the largest and maybe the only time all of this work is seen together, with one piece on loan from Southend Museum.

“The exhibition contains some very fine works of family members as well as a good deal of fine sketch book work, preparatory drawings and a few bits of commercial work. As a devout Catholic he produced some work for religious publications which are represented at the show.”