Around 40 modern British and Irish works from private collections in the Isle of Man will be on public display this autumn.

Christie's is to guest curate its first exhibition here in collaboration with the Isle of Man Arts Council and Manx National Heritage.

Works by Lowry will be among the 'Secret Treasures' event, running from October 17 to November 28 at the Manx Museum.

Arts Council chairman Geoff Corkish MLC said: 'This exhibition is very much a first for the Isle of Man and also for Christie’s, who have curated a truly exceptional collection. Central to Island of Culture 2014 was to render art in all its diversity accessible to a wider audience, an objective which, as a legacy outcome from that successful year of celebration, Secret Treasures exemplifies, as it will offer the public a unique opportunity to view privately held paintings of a genre of 20th art rarely seen in such volume outside of a gallery environment.'

Christie’s head of Modern British and Irish Art Andre Zlattinger added: ‘We’re enormously excited about this unique opportunity to curate our first exhibition in the Isle of Man. We’re also extremely grateful to the private collectors in the island who have made the exhibition possible, by generously agreeing to lend their paintings and share them with a wider audience.

'Secret Treasures will bring works by some of the foremost artists from the 20th century out from behind usually closed doors and offer the general public a rare insight into a genre of art with universal appeal.'

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