AN exhibition of abstract art was on display at a museum in January 1980.

The Lewis Textile Museum in Blackburn was to host the exhibition until February 9, showcasing the work of a young Manchester artist, Edmund Mann.

Mr Mann was a fine arts graduate from Reading University. There were more than 50 paintings and drawings on show and many of them were going to be sold at prices ranging from £20 to £50.

Most of Mr Mann’s work was abstract, and although he knew that many people were sceptical of abstract art, he still hoped people would appreciate the work.

He did not start a painting with any fixed idea of how it would turn out. He said: “I simple look at what happens and carry on until I like every bit of it.”

He had previously exhibited in London, Cambridge, Reading and Basingstoke. He had many admirers, one of those was his six-year-old nephew Gordon, with whom he is pictured at a preview of his exhibition.

The Lewis Textile Museum opened in 1938 to celebrate Blackburn’s contribution to the textile industry, presenting how important the cotton industry was to the town.

It closed in 2006, with works moving to the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.