The Beautiful Painted Riviera

In 76 canvases, the enchanting atmosphere of Alassio in the late 1800s

Richard Whateley West was in love with the clear light of the Mediterranean, which he tried to capture in his paintings. Unlike his British compatriots, who preferred to stay in the hills, he chose a house-studio near the beach, an ideal place to catch the nuances of the sky and the sea. He also loved swimming. It is said that he wouldn't give up a dip even in winter and that he used an open umbrella to be carried by the waves. The Richard West Memorial Gallery houses 76 works, an extraordinary testimony to the coastal landscape of the late 1800s and the presence of the English. It is also home to the English Library for the Anglo-Saxon Library Fund, with a collection of about 15,000 volumes. It deserves a visit!

Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, the allure of the landscape and the mild climate made Alassio an ideal tourist destination for the English. The presence of families such as the Gibbs, Mac Murdo, and Hanbury brought significant changes to the city: dream villas were built in the hills and in the center, while in the area adjacent to the railway station, the library building, the Anglican church, and the Hanbury Tennis Club were constructed. We also owe the great architectural and artistic heritage that the Richard West gallery is part of to the English.

In 1905, the Irish painter Richard West, who had been living in Alassio for twenty years, died. His friends and numerous admirers of his artistic production decided to build a building to house his 180 works, a precious legacy that allowed Alassio not only to remember the artist but also to testify to the nature and life of Alassio at the end of the 1800s.

The Richard West Memorial Gallery, designed by London architect W.D. Caroe, was inaugurated in 1907. It consists of a room divided at the back by a partition with a portal that recalls that of the entrance. The roof, a large half-moon skylight, allows the passage of light. Until 1935, it remained open to the public according to a specific regulation drawn up in English. With the war, the gallery was closed, and the paintings were transferred to the artist's daughter Kathleen's villa. Over time, many paintings were lost, but in the early 1960s, with a legacy to Alassio, a city that her father loved deeply, Kathleen donated the 76 paintings now on display.

Books & Paintings, a Perfect Combination

The Richard West Memorial Gallery also houses the English Library, the English Library for the Anglo-Saxon Library Fund, which preserves about 15,000 books printed between 1870 and 1936 and is among the most important English-language libraries in Italy.

Important Dates

1848

Richard Wately West is born in Dublin, the son of Reverend John West.

1870

He graduates from Trinity College.

1878

The Royal Academy exhibits his first work A Coal Wharf at Rotherhithe.

1883

He goes abroad, to the Riviera, on commission from the Art Journal to create drawings.

1885

He spends two months in Alassio, which will leave a mark on him.

1890

He takes up permanent residence in Alassio, where he spends the rest of his life painting and living in a house-studio on the seafront.

1893

He meets and marries Gertrude Ellen Ragg, the daughter of the Vicar of the Anglican Church of Bordighera, and in 1895 their daughter Katherine (Kay) is born.

1905

In February, during a visit to Florence, he falls ill with pneumonia and dies.

1907

Designed by W. D. Caroe, the gallery opens to the public to display his entire production.

1963

His daughter Kay donates her father's paintings to the city of Alassio, which he loved so much.