The Towner Gallery in Eastbourne was a lovely little art gallery. Set in an old house in a park in Eastbourne old town it was a bit off the beaten track but contained a marvellous blend of Sussex inspired art and wonderful abstract and contemporary pieces. Its move into contemporary art was largely due to the period when its curator was William Gear, a well respected abstract artist linked with the CoBrA artistic group. For the past couple of years it has been closed as it prepared to move to a spanking new Rick Mather Architects designed building. The new gallery - next to the Eastbourne theatres and just off the seafront - not only offers stunning views across the Downs from its cafe; it is stunning itself.
The opening exhibitions are a suitably eclectic mix. There is a 'people's choice' selection which shows the breadth and quality of the Towner collection and includes works by William Gear, Eric Ravilious, Julian Opie, Roni Horn and Wolfgang Tilmanns. The top gallery contains Nowhere Man by Ivan Navarro - the Olympic sports pictographs from the 1972 Munich games are redone using fluorescent tubes and their stark simplicity and beauty works surprisingly well. 
The ground floor has some works by local schoolchildren that have been inspired by works from the collection. The other contemporary display is, frankly, dreadful and shows everything wrong with modern art - but that is a minor blip.
Overall the place is a joy - exactly the sort of excellent gallery many cities would be proud of - never mind a small south coast resort. Although it's had some coverage in the national media - including the Observer and Wallpaper - it would have had hugely more if this gallery was in London.
Definitely worth a visit - it is an absolute gem.
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