British sea power.

Master of the Sea is a major retrospective exhibition of work by maritime painter Charles Napier Hemy (1841 ( 1917). This show brings together paintings from national and regional collections, including Tyne & Wear Museums, with rarely-seen paintings and sketches from private collections.

Hemy, born in Newcastle, is acclaimed as the most accomplished marine painter of his generation. When he was 10, his family emigrated to Australia, but returned two years later, and the long journeys had a huge impact on him as an artist. Experiencing storms at sea first hand instilled in him a great respect for its power and danger. He developed a life-long passion for sailing, eventually setting up his studio on a converted Seine boat, and his work demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the sea's shapes and hues.

Works such as How We Caught the Pilchards (on loan to the exhibition from the Walker Art Gallery ) show a Newlyn School preoccupation with the work of the area's fishing community, but his depiction of their working environment is particularly special. His friend, fellow artist Sir Frank Brangwyn, wrote, "His knowledge of the sea was superb. As a draughtsman of wave forms he stands alone."

At the start of his artistic career, Hemy, was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite painters, and attention to detail and careful draughtsmanship stayed with him.

The exhibition, organised by Penlee House Gallery and Museum, spans Hemy's career: his early, highly detailed landscapes, observations of fishing communities and seascapes in his later style.

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens curator Juliet Horsley says: "We are thrilled to be able to display such a wide range of paintings by Hemy. He was an avid and knowledgeable sailor and this is reflected in his work, so this exhibition is a must-see, not only for art lovers but anyone with an interest in the sea."

j Master of the Sea: Charles Napier Hemy is at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens from December 2 to January 27. The museum is open Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 2pm-5pm. Admission is free. It is owned by Sunderland City Council and managed on its behalf by Tyne & Wear Museums.