A selection of 90 paintings from a collection belonging to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has gone on display at the City Arts Centre in Edinburgh. The Public Eye is the first large-scale exhibition of the collection to be shown outside Northern Ireland. The entire collection, which includes up to 1,000 contemporary artworks, is a combination of gifts from artists and their families, works purchased by the council over the past 50 years, and commissions. Works by artists from the mid 1950s to the 1970s – including Dan O’Neill, Colin Middleton and William Scott – as well as living artists such as Basil Blacksah, Joseph McWilliams and Felim Egan, feature in the arts council’s collection. Steve Cardownie, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure in the Scottish Parliament, welcomed the opportunity for Edinburgh audiences to view the artworks. ‘This is the first time that such an amount of this outstanding collection has been shown outside Northern Ireland, and we are very thankful to the arts council, [which has] generously allowed the Edinburgh public a small glimpse of Northern Ireland's creative talent,’ he said. Brian Walker, Chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented that the exhibition served as a reminder of the quality of work by artists in Northern Ireland. ‘The vitality and quality of work by artists from our community in recent decades is shown clearly in this selection from the collection,’ he affirmed. DATE: Until February 22 VENUE: City Arts Centre, 2 Market St, Edinburgh ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: City Arts Centre: 0131 529 3993