Sir Elton John and David Furnish have loaned Falmouth Art Gallery artworks from their private collection for the gallery's latest exhibition, Artist’s Afloat: Tuke & Hemy at Sea.

The exhibition celebrates the marine paintings of Charles Napier Hemy RA RWS (1841-1917) and Henry Scott Tuke RA RWS (1858-1929). Both of these Falmouth-based Royal Academicians painted many of their artworks at sea, aboard their own floating art studios.

Friends Hemy and Tuke are both regarded as being among the greatest marine painters of their time. To mark the 100th anniversary of Hemy’s death Falmouth Art Gallery has drawn upon original research from his Hemy’s articles and sketchbooks and Tuke’s diaries to identify the works they painted aboard their studios. The result is an exhibition that will transport you out into the waters of Falmouth Bay.

Sir Elton and David Furnish are lending two paintings by Henry Scott Tuke, Hoisting the Mainsail and The Midday Rest. Hoisting the Mainsail was painted on board Tuke’s boat The Cornish Girl, which was one of his floating studios alongside the Lily and his favourite the Julie of Nantes. The painting shows life on board a sailing ship and features local fisherman Neddy Hall and his son Freddy. The Midday Rest (Sailors Yarning) was painted by Tuke on board a tall ship, the French barque Mazatlan which Tuke bought when it came up for sale in Falmouth in May 1905.

Also on display are are important loans from Tate Britain, Hartlepool Museum, The Royal Cornwall Museum and local collections. One of Hemy’s paintings Youth, features a yacht racing through the waves. It was painted on board Hemy’s floating studio the Vandermeer. The yacht featured in the painting was actually Hemy’s, which he called the Barbara after one of his daughters. He would anchor up the Vandermeer and employ two or more of his sons to race the yacht around his floating studio as many as fifty times to achieve the perfect composition.

Pilchards was painted on board Hemy’s floating studio the Vanderveld which was wrecked in 1898. It is an accumulation of studies made over 14 years, on trips around the Cornish coast and to the Isles of Scilly. Hemy immersed himself in the subject and accompanied the seine boats out to sea in the Vanderveld whenever there were Pilchards sighted, building a rapport with the local fishermen.

The exhibition will be accompanied a series of free family art workshops for all ages which will take place between 11am and 3pm on the first Saturday of each month and Tuesday to Thursdays in the school holidays. Themes include What a Catch, Through the Porthole and Sailing Out to Sea.

Artists Afloat: Tuke & Hemy at Sea, can be seen at Falmouth Art Gallery until June 17. The gallery is open from 10am until 5pm, Monday to Saturday and admission is free. For information on the exhibition and workshops contact Donna Williams on 01326 313863 or email info@falmouthartgallery.com.