KEN Stradling’s Eye: Modern Design in Britain is the first exhibition of highlights from the spectacular collection created by the former Chairman of the Bristol Guild of Applied Arts to be presented outside Bristol.

Curated by Dr. Alan Powers, the well known historian and writer on 20th century design, the exhibition features objects from the 1930s to the present and will be a revelation for lovers of everything to do with interiors - fine pots, glass, craft toys and designer furniture.

Collected over the last 50 years, Ken understood early on that dealing with interesting objects can be a way of life and a career. He sees art, craft and design as a continuum, and a way of making life brighter and more interesting which could be available to anyone

This is the mission he has pursued over a lifetime and which is now enshrined in the Ken Stradling Trust which will make the collection accessible to future generations.

The show engages with Stradling’s passion for ‘design’ in rare, quirky and everyday objects of 20th century Britain – machine made, handmade, ceramics, glass or furniture.

Alan Powers has selected 100 items from the collection that encompass all its major aspects and reveal Ken Stradling’s way of seeing the world, from ‘brown pots’ of the Bernard Leach tradition to a painted wooden boat by Sam Smith – subversive, witty and modern.

The exhibition runs at Monnow Valley Arts Centre in Walterstone from Saturday, May 3 to Sunday, June 29, Thursday and Friday, 11am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday, 2pm to 5pm. Other times by appointment. For further details, visit monnowvalleyarts.org or call 01873 860529.