 Sir Kyffin Williams left over 400 pieces of work to the Llangefni gallery |
A gallery to house works by the late top artist Sir Kyffin Williams has been given a �150,000 boost. The Kyffin Williams Trust said they are now just �500,000 short of the �1.5m needed to build the gallery on land next to Oriel Ynys M�n at Llangefni.
The latest donation came from the Anglesey Charitable Trust which administer a fund by oil company Shell.
The Kyffin Williams Trust said they hoped the new gallery would now open next year.
Trust chairman Dr Derec Llwyd Morgan said he was confident talks with another public body would result in a further �250,000 being pledged for the fund by the middle of January.
"This along with �30,000 donated by both other bodies and individuals shows how much support the plan has," he said.
"We should be putting the job out to tender in February/March and the gallery should be opened by next Christmas and we can celebrate and Kyffin will be alive again, as it were."
Sir Kyffin, renowned for his stark oil paintings of the north Wales landscape and figures, died aged 88 on 1 September after a long battle with cancer.
He has been acknowledged as the leading Welsh artist of his generation.
The Isle of Anglesey Charitable Trust was established by the former Isle of Anglesey Borough Council - a forerunner of the county council - in 1990.
It was set up to administer funds received from Shell (UK) Limited when the company closed their oil terminal on Anglesey.
Cross section
Councillor Goronwy Parry from the trust said Kyffin Williams had contributed widely to the island through his work as a world famous artist and his contribution of art to Oriel Ynys M�n.
Alun Griffith from Oriel Ynys M�n said the new gallery was needed because they did not have enough room at present to display all of Mr Williams' work.
"The work we have covers a wide range of work he did over the years," said Mr Griffith.
"We have nearly 30 large oil paintings, colour sketches, ink drawings as well as quite simple work in pencil.
"We are especially fortunate to have such a cross section of the different medium and styles he worked in," he added.
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We are especially fortunate to have such a cross section of the different medium and styles
