Rare set of limited edition prints go to gallery

A visitor to Rugby Art Gallery and Museum looking at a Chris Orr print earlier this year

A painter and printmaker has donated a rare set of limited edition prints to a Warwickshire art gallery and museum.

The Royal Academy's Chris Orr gave them to Rugby Art Gallery and Museum after the site hosted an exhibition of his work earlier this year.

His prints take a satirical view of everyday lives and their titles include "The all England all sport final" and "34 Actors in search of a play", the borough council said.

The 10 lithograph prints were each limited to a 25-print run and the gallery and museum join the Royal Academy as the only venues to have the complete set.

The art gallery and museum said they forged a close relationship with him during his exhibition in Rugby and also when he curated this year's Rugby Collection exhibition.

Katie Boyce, from the site, said: "Chris has a remarkable CV, staging solo shows in Tokyo, New York and Melbourne, while also working as a revered academic in his field."

The Rugby Collection was established by the borough council in 1946 and is made up of more than 200 pieces.

Works selected from the collection feature in an annual exhibition at the gallery.

Mr Orr, a former professor of printmaking at London's Royal College of Art, was made an MBE in 2008 for his services to the arts.