Artist John Bellany's prints found in East Lothian shed to be auctioned in aid of RNLI

Fans of the renowned painter, John Bellany, have been given an opportunity to bid for some of his wonderful prints after they were found in a shed in East Lothian.

The prints had been left by an anonymous benefactor and were found by Miixer CIC workers who recognised Bellany’s work instantly. It has been decided that the proceeds of the auction would go to RNLI Dunbar to boost the funds of the vital lifesaving charity.

A bid can be placed by stating the amount you wish to offer under the individual photos of the prints, which are found on the ‘Zero Waste Reuse and Big Pick Shops’ Facebook page. A deadline of 5pm on Saturday has been set for those who wish to take part.

Simon Glover, director of Miixer CIC, said: “Miixer CIC has reuse sheds at recycling centres in East Lothian where people can put stuff that is too good to throw away. Sometimes we get a real surprise like finding these Bellany prints as we cleared one of the sheds.

“We wanted to do something with them to support a local charity, and knowing Bellany's affinity for the sea and sea folk it seemed most appropriate to auction the prints for the RNLI, who provide such an incredible service to coastal communities. I think Bellany would approve.”

Bellany's coastal roots

The non-profit social enterprise thought it would be fitting if they were to auction off the works in order to donate the proceeds to the RNLI Dunbar - as Bellany had a love for the sea, seafaring folk as well as being an admirer of the work of the RNLI.

Bellany’s work is included in the National Galleries of Scotland as well as being found in the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was buried in the Dean cemetery in Edinburgh following his death at the age of 71 in 2013.

Nick Mailer, Dunbar RNLI, said: “Both our crew and fundraising volunteers at Dunbar RNLI are delighted that the team at Miixer have chosen to auction these wonderful prints and donate the proceeds to the RNLI.

“This charitable auction comes at a time when costs are rising for RNLI so the much valued funds raised will really help us to continue our work of saving lives at sea.

“We have great community support for the Lifeboats here in Dunbar and we are further grateful to Miixer for highlighting our cause to a wider audience through the great work they do reducing waste throughout Edinburgh and East Lothian.”

Bellany was born into a family of fishermen and boat builders at Port Seton in 1942 and much of his work was inspired by his coastal roots.