Galleria Richard Whateley West

The Richard Whateley West Gallery preserves the Irish painter's images of Alassio and its surroundings around the turn of the twentieth century. Its memorial building and association with the English Library recall the town's international community.

Why it matters

West settled in Alassio in 1890 after earlier visits to the Riviera. His paintings record the beaches, boats, hills and coastal light of the town during the development of its British resident community. They are both works of landscape painting and evidence of a changing resort landscape.

What to notice

Seascapes and shoreline scenes give particular attention to light on water and the relationship between boats and the coast. The gallery hall, designed by W. D. Caroe, has a characteristic half-moon skylight. Its connection with the English Library places painting and literary culture within the same commemorative setting.

Context and history

West was born in Dublin in 1848 and died in 1905. The gallery opened in 1907. Wartime losses reduced the earlier body of work associated with it; in the early 1960s his daughter Kathleen donated seventy-six canvases. That history of loss and renewed collecting is part of the gallery's significance alongside the landscapes themselves.