November 5 | 
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Howson Brother Walfrid project to help St Mary’s Church
An unseen Peter Howson artwork, entitled Brother Walfrid, will be officially unveiled in Glasgow on Friday and sales of prints will help fund the refurbishment of the east end Church where Celtic FC was founded.
“There were 40 or 50 preparatory sketches which are works in themselves. I wanted to convey the compassion; it’s in the eyes. I also wanted to convey the simplicity—the fact that this man cared about people,” the artist said of the work celebrating the life and legacy of the great humanitarian, best remembered as founder of Celtic Football Club.
“There are very few images of him, which was probably helpful because it meant I didn’t know exactly what he looked like. It’s my vision of the man. It looks like him to me—more like him than I could ever have imagined.”
The Nine Muses art house commissioned Mr Howson, the artist who created the portrait of St John Ogilvie which hangs in the recently renovated St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow, to create a bespoke piece on Brother Walfrid. The original 6ft x 4ft painting is accompanied by a limited edition of 1888 prints, commemorating the year in which Brother Walfrid established the club in Glasgow’s East End.
A percentage of all proceeds from sales of the artwork will go towards the refurbishment of St Mary’s Church in Glasgow’s East End, the location where Brother Walfrid convened the meeting that established Celtic.
In a first for the artist, the numbered prints—signed by the artist—will be presented in a limited edition boxed set, accompanied by a documentary DVD—Brother Walfrid: The Founder—narrated by BAFTA winning actor and director, Peter Mullan.
The hour-long film details the life, achievements and enduring legacy of Brother Walfrid while also charting the more than three years’ design, research and development which went in to the creation of the artwork on the Marist Brother, champion of the poor. The documentary includes contributions from Sir Tom Devine and Professor Joseph Bradley.
The unveiling of Brother Walfrid with accompanying screenings of Brother Walfrid: The Founder will take place on Friday at the Blythswood Hotel.
—More information can be found at www.brotherwalfridart.co.uk. The limited edition print boxed sets are available for approximately £600.
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