FOUR of the 'most historically important artists to have made work in Wales' are brought together in a new exhibition opening this week.

The Late November Gallery, Haverfordwest, run by Pembrokeshire artist Anne Kerr, is expects to attract serious collectors with its latest show Welsh Masters, featuring work by Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Ceri Richards and Frank Brangwyn.

“When I first started thinking about running a gallery and the possibilities of what to showcase', it was always going to be a challenge to please all tastes,” said Kerr. “So, 'quality' was the key, and what better way than to show work by these four masters, spanning over 100 years of creative process?"

Sutherland famously settled in Pembrokeshire for many years, making some of his finest work in the area.

“It was a trip in 1967 that inspired his Welsh work; the landscape with the most impact used was Sandy Haven and Picton the estuaries and riverbeds,” said Kerr.

Pembrokeshire also played a pivotal role in John Piper’s artistic development.

“His love of the Welsh landscape started in 1936 in Pembrokeshire, where the neo-classical architecture of non-conformist chapels in Wales inspired many of his church paintings,” said Kerr.

The show also features work by Swansea-born artist Ceri Richards, whose surrealist-influenced work made its way into the Tate Britain collection and the National Museum of Wales; and by Anglo-Welsh painter Frank Brangwyn, who is best known for his British Empire Panels, which adorn the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.

“All the exhibitors are well respected for their contributions to Welsh and international art, and by bringing them together I hope to create a sense not only of what these artists have done for the visual culture of Wales, but also of what Wales has given to the wider art world,” said Kerr.

“The invitations for this show have gone far, spreading the name of The Late November Gallery and its intention to be taken seriously, showing it's a local gallery with big ideas.

“The exhibition can be viewed as a statement of intent: the gallery has come a long way in six months, with expansion plans well under way. It is now on two floors, and has three exhibiting spaces for more shows of similar size and for larger scale works. There is much more to come.”

The show opens tomorrow with a talk by art writer Peter Lord, and runs from Saturday September 20 until October 18.