Gallery bronze (From Western Telegraph)

Gallery bronze

A bronze bust of one of Tenby's most famous sons, Augustus John, has just been bought by the town's museum and art gallery.

Costing many thousands of pounds, the sculpture is a fascinating portrait of the artist 'as an irascible old man', says honorary curator, John Beynon.

Acquiring this prestigious piece - by internationally-renowned Italian sculptor Fiore de Henriquez - is particularly important to Mr Beynon as he retires from the museum in August.

Formerly a senior art and design lecturer in Cardiff, he had met both Augustus John and the eccentric and exotic sculptor, who shared a close friendship.

"The bust was created in 1952 when he was 74, and is absolutely magnificent, because it is so much like the Augustus John that people remember," he said. "It adds great strength to the museum's existing John collection."

Mr Beynon would not divulge the actual cost of the bust, only saying that it ran into 'many thousands of pounds' and was acquired with the aid of 'substantial external funding'.

Financial support was given by the Museums and Galleries Commission (with a grant administered by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London), together with a generous donation from the Friends of Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.