'Great honour': Leeds-born comedian Vic Reeves' artwork to go on display in Yorkshire
Paintings by beloved Leeds-born artist and comedian Vic Reeves will go on display in Yorkshire later this month.
Vic Reeves, known as Jim Moir, said it would be a “great honour” for his new exhibition Neo Fauna to go on display at the Lister Park gallery for five months starting from March 28.
The gallery has been closed to the public since that exhibition shut last week, and preparations are now underway for its reopening.
Before Hockney’s works are returned to the gallery space that bears his name, Moir’s colourful images of birds and other animals will find a temporary home there.
He said “It’s a great honour to be in here next to the great artists like Hockney and Rossetti.
“I’ve not been here before, I’ve been to Bradford before, but not here. It is a fantastic, beautiful building.
“There is great artwork in here, so I’m honoured to be in here next to it all. It’s great to have your work shown in a building like this and not a high street gallery.
“I did the Lady Leaver (a gallery in Bebbington) last year which is grand, and this is probably a bit grander than that – I’m working up in grandness until I end up in the grandest gallery in the world. I don’t know where that is. Maybe I’ll take over the Louvre, I’ll have all the Louvre.”
Asked how he would describe his artwork to people who are not familiar with it he pointed out he’d been doing it for many years, saying tongue in cheek: “There is a new thing called the internet, people can have a look on there. I don’t have to describe things anymore because we live in the future.”
Discussing the different styles of his work, he said: “If I was making music I’d switch from Jazz to classical with a bit of funk in between. There is nothing wrong with that, although some people expect artists to stick to the one theme.”
The exhibition runs until August 31, and all artworks will be available to purchase, with a portion of the proceeds supporting Bradford and District Museums and Galleries to remain free and open to all.