Dylan Thomas Drawing Gifted To Swansea
A drawing of Dylan Thomas by the last artist to paint him while he was alive has been gifted to Swansea.
Dr Wyn Gittins, who was born in Cross Hands, travelled to Swansea from his home in Canada to donate the Gordon Stuart drawing to Swansea Council’s Dylan Thomas Collection.
Stuart’s portraits of Dylan are held in various collections around the world, including the National Portrait Gallery, the University of Buffalo in New York and the University of Texas in Austin.
Stuart, who died in 2015, was born in Canada but moved to Wales as a young man, living in Swansea for many years.
As they were friends, he personally gave the Dylan Thomas drawing to Dr Gittins.
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “As Dylan’s home city, it’s important we do all we can to promote his creative genius and maintain his legacy for the benefit of local residents and visitors to Swansea.
“It was very kind of Dr Gittins to donate this drawing to our Dylan Thomas Collection. The drawing will feature at our cultural venues in future as we continue to celebrate Dylan’s life and achievements.
“Dylan’s Swansea links will inevitably form part of our UK City of Culture 2021 bid because of his enduring cultural influence and relevance across the world. It’s also appropriate that we’re able to add to our rich Dylan Thomas Collection during Visit Wales’ Year of Legends campaign because Dylan is one of the biggest legends Wales has ever produced.”
Visitors to the Dylan Thomas Centre in the Maritime Quarter can explore the poet’s life and legacy at the Dylan Thomas Exhibition. The exhibition includes a children’s trail, an audio-visual installation, an interactive 3D timeline exploring Dylan’s life and work, and a deconstructed shed installation that focuses on Dylan the writer by exploring his methods of composition and creative relationships.
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