Art fit for royalty takes centre stage in Rustington

AN ARTIST from Rustington who had one of his paintings displayed on the royal yacht Britannia is now to feature in a new exhibition at the village’s museum.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2014, 15:00 BST
A turbulent scene at Rustington beach which now features at the villages museums latest displayA turbulent scene at Rustington beach which now features at the villages museums latest display
A turbulent scene at Rustington beach which now features at the villages museums latest display

Leslie Wilcox, who lived in Cove Road from 1963 until his death in 1982, is best known as a marine artist.

As a young man he was a commercial artist in London and during the Second World War he worked on camouflage designs for naval ships. After the war he designed railway posters, before becoming a well-regarded painter of sea scenes and ships. In 1953 he was commissioned to paint the return of the Queen from her Commonwealth tour, with the Royal Yacht Britannia passing under Tower Bridge.

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The painting was presented to the Queen and hung over the fireplace in the drawing room of the Royal Yacht until it was de-commissioned.

Now, a new exhibition at Rustington Museum, features copies of some of the British Rail posters designed by Arthur.

The centrepiece of the display is his oil painting called ‘Launching a fishing boat at Rustington, Sussex’, which was purchased last year by the Rustington Heritage Association.

The exhibition runs until January 2015.

Related topics:RustingtonQueenLondonTower Bridge