Kieron Williamson: First art to be hung at Holt Festival

Kieron Williamson is having a retrospective exhibition aged just nine

Child art prodigy Kieron Williamson is to put his first ever paintings on show during a retrospective exhibition in Norfolk.

The landscapes of Cornwall, never before seen by the public, will be displayed in the Holt Festival in July.

The two pictures of coastal scenes, created at the age of five, mark the first "significant" moments of his art career, according to mother Michelle.

The nine-year-old will also sell 24 new paintings during a six-day residency.

Many more unseen artworks that Kieron has created for journalists, in order to prove his talent, will also be hung at Picturecraft Gallery from 20 to 25 July.

Kieron shot to international fame in 2010 when his first ever art sale at the age of seven fetched £150,000 in half an hour.

Another sale in his former home town of Holt in November brought in £105,000 in just 10 minutes.

'Level of maturity'

During the new exhibition, mother Michelle said the north Norfolk artist may also undertake a ticket-only painting demonstration and will launch his first book Coming to Light, which details his journey in art so far.

"It all stems from our Cornish holiday back in May 2008. We hope to be able to show those two very first pictures that he achieved during that time, which was so significant for his interest in art," said Mrs Williamson, who with Kieron and the family lives in Ludham on the Norfolk Broads.

"Because Kieron has progressed so far in the last four years we wanted to celebrate his earlier work, because there's such a level of maturity to his paintings now.

"He's being compared to other adult artists that we all know and love. This childhood element to his work is not going to feature in future work, so it's about celebrating this period of time for him."

Mrs Williamson said a percentage of takings from the new art sale would go to charities Help for Heroes and Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

The Holt Festival fully starts on 22 July and runs for seven days. The lineup for the fourth arts and literature event is expected to be announced in May.