Jan 14 - Mario Finlayson Retrospective Opens – New Gallery To Be Named After “Doyen Of Local Artists”
A retrospective exhibition celebrating the life and work of Mario Finlayson – known as the doyen of local artists – opened yesterday evening at the Gustavo Bacarisas Galleries in Casemates.
Containing paintings, photographs and awards from every period of the artist’s career, the exhibition brings together many works and documents which have been held in private collections for decades.
Opening the exhibition, the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said that Mario’s work dominated the local art scene and had influenced an entire generation of artists. He also announced, to the surprise of both the artist and those gathered in the gallery, that the new national art gallery in City Hall would be named after him in recognition of his contribution to Gibraltar’s cultural life.
Mario spoke of having “sown many seeds” in Gibraltar’s art scene throughout his career. He said he was extremely proud to have a new gallery named after him.
Mario Finlayson was born in Gibraltar in 1927. He was evacuated to the UK during the Second World War and started entering art competitions on his return to the Rock. He studied at the Slade School of Art in the 1960s and trained as an Art teacher in Bristol.
Picture shows local singer Andrea Simpson who delivered an impromptu performance after the speeches.
