VISITORS to Bury Art Gallery are sure to be enlightened by its latest exhibition.

Light itself is the theme of a major show which is the first time the works of Austrian artist Helmut Schober have been seen in Britain.

His huge abstract canvasses are on display alongside works by J.M.W. Turner, which have come from Bury's own collections and Tate Britain.

The exhibition is titled "Turner and Schober: Two Creators of Light" and contrasts the ways in which the artists flood their paintings with light.

Bury's own famous Turner masterpiece, "Calais Sands", an oil painting from 1830, is a forerunner of his later explorations of light such as "The Fighting Temeraire".

Schober has exhibited in New York and across Europe. An Austrian based in Italy since he was a student in Vienna, his painting has developed from early work as a performance artist using neon lights.

He first saw Turner's work as a young man visiting the Tate, and has created a work specially for the Bury show entitled "Time is without direction? 1, Homage to J.M.W. Turner".

Accompanying the exhibition is "W.A. Mozart Tone Line", a series of drawings in response to Mozart's music.

A full colour publication accompanies the exhibition with essays by English and German art historians.

The exhibition runs until November 9. The Moss Street gallery is open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

A series of talks, tours and hands-on art workshops have been arranged to co-incide with the exhibition. Visit the gallery to find out full details.