A forgotten artist whose beautiful and striking pictures of Largs and Millport from long ago are on show at a unique exhibition this summer.

It is a celebration of an artist, who died 100 years ago, and has since left an indelible impression with some art connisseurs who are eager to promote his legacy a century later.

Auctioneers, Bonhams of Glasgow, will stage the first ever exhibition dedicated to John Smellie (1886-1925), a celebration of the artist in his home city 90 years after his tragically early death.

Timed to coincide with the Glasgow Fair holiday, it includes pictures of the much-loved resorts of Largs and Millport in the 1920s.

Smellie’s pictures are rare as he died shortly after turning professional, aged just 38, and the exhibition will showcase twelve of his works generously on loan from private collections.

John’s pictures are considered to be rare, appearing very occasionally on the art market. The majority of the pictures which appear in the exhibition appear courtesy of a private collector, who recognised the high quality of the masterpieces.

Chris Brickley, head of the picture department for Bonhams Auctioneers, said: “Bonhams is an auction house, and as such, we are accustomed to gathering artwroks from private homes and promoting them, before being offered for sale. At these previews, the public is welcome to visit and enjoy them before the pcitures return, in all likelihood, to other private homes across the globe.

“However, the prime purpose of this small exhibition, the first ever devoted to John Smellie, is not commercial, It is to raise the profile of an artist who has been dead for nearly a century, and merits retrospective appreciation in his home city and furthe afield.

“His pictures are fresh, invoke joy in the viewer, and although they recall another era of summer ‘doon the watter’ they are timeless.” “John Smellie (pronounced ‘Smiley’) rarely features in surveys of 20th century art. Even regular gallery-goers or auction observers would be hard-pushed to recognise his name, much less picture one of his beach summery scenes.

“My own interest was spurred when, on commencing in the auction business, I decided to familairise myself with our own Scottish art sales. Browing through the shelves of old sale catalogues, one image on the cover of a 1989 publication caught my attention. A timeless snapshot of figures promenading on a sunny day. The beach looked inviting, the bay glinted and there in the foreground was an elaborate drinking fountainm which just about lingers in my subconscious. There was the jetty where we hired boats. And the ‘Cross House’ to its left.

“The hills behind too. All as familiar as my own hand. Yes, my childhood hoilidays rolled into one image, painted just outside my grandparents’ little holiday flat on Newton Sands, Millport, some seventy years before.

“Here was an evocative 1920s snapshot with cloche hats, a lilac blazer, tennis racquet, well-scrubbed weans and sun-bleached, creamy disposition. On such days, and they do exist every season, I’d never wish to be anywhere else.” An exhibition catalogue is available to purchase from Bonhams, 176 St Vincent St, Glasgow, tel. 0141 223 8866. The organisers would also be keen to hear from descendants of the family, or those with further information on the artist.

The exhibition itself takes place in Bonhams from 6-31 July.