British art at its very best.

The Laing Art Gallery's latest exhibition, New Art for a New Era, is a display of spectacular paintings from the gallery's collection.

The exhibition spans the groundbreaking changes which took place in art in the 20th Century from the Edwardian period to the 60s.

It includes work by Stanley Spencer, LS Lowry and Laura Knight.

The diverse display comprises of British paintings inspired by Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Abstraction, Surrealism and Pointillism.

The movement from the figurative composition to snapshot style portraits is explored and the trend towards painting landscapes in the open air.

Paintings of local scenes include L S Lowry's Old Chapel, Newcastle, painted on a visit to the North East in1965 and the stylised The Building of the Tyne Bridge in 1928 by Edward Dickey, who was Professor of Art at Newcastle University.

A centrepiece of the later pictures is Stanley Spencer's important painting The Lovers, illustrating his very personal combination of Bible themes with the everyday life of his home village.

Colourful light-filled scenes of the British impressionists are one of the highlights of the exhibition with paintings by Stanhope Forbes, and Laura and Harold Knight.

These artists explored the effect of light on their surroundings. Attractive figure and landscape paintings by artists working in a more Realist style are also included.

Two paintings, which could not previously be displayed, have been especially conserved for the exhibition.

The glowing colours of a grand, decorative landscape painted in 1900 by Sir Alfred East and a sparkling seascape by Julius Olsson can now be enjoyed in their former glory, thanks to funding from the Friends of the Laing Art Gallery.

Curator Julie Milne said: "The gallery already has an impressive display of its 18th and 19th Century paintings and we were keen to create a similar exhibition of our important 20th Century collection.

We have selected paintings in a wide variety of styles to appeal to the diverse tastes of our visitors and provide another good reason to visit the gallery."

NNew Art for a New Era runs from this Saturday (5) to April 15, 2007.

The Laing has also teamed up with artists from around the region to offer children an array of learning activities this summer.

Perfect Puppets, Animal Maskerade and Gorgeous Glass are among the events available free of charge.

Budding print makers will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Howard Hodgkin whose bold, colourful prints are on display in the gallery.

Youngsters can design collage prints inspired by the exhibition with artist Simon Terry. Once the print is finished children will be able to take it home to display.

Howard Hodgkin Prints is a prestigious exhibition of the work of this major modern British artist.

The prints with their simple designs provide an ideal introduction to art for children.

Visitors can explore the exhibition using the label book, which is available to carry around the exhibition. It provides more information on how the prints were made and the inspiration behind each work.