TWO private viewings to mark the start of a unique exhibition in the Garden Rooms were attended by more than 120 clients of Tennants Auctioneers Leyburn.

The exhibition is the first of its kind for Tennants and includes works by British artists never seen in public before. As the largest family-owned auction house in the UK, Tennants has handled many extraordinary pieces of British Art over the years by the likes of J M W Turner, Edward Seago, Dame Laura Knight and Graham Sutherland.

With a diverse range of pictures from the 17th century to the present being sold in specialist fine art, modern and contemporary art and country house sales throughout the year, strong results are reliably achieved.

Tennants has curated this non-selling exhibition comprising works spanning 350 years, charting the development of British art which further develops the company's links with the arts.

Artists represented include Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney, Henry Moore, L S Lowry and Sir Terry Frost.

Jane Tennant, director, said: “We are delighted to work in collaboration with public galleries and private collections to bring together this group of works and to celebrate the breadth of British art in this unique exhibition.”

Following the private viewing, the exhibition was open to the public.

Jane Whittaker, head of collections, the Bowes Museum said: "The exhibition is another reason to share what Tennants is really all about, the sheer enjoyment of art and creativity in all their varied forms and expressions.”