Just three months after opening its doors to the public, Bermuda's National Gallery has already established an impressive track record.

There have been two major loan exhibitions of mainly contemporary art to bolster the permanent collections. This move, made possible by the generosity of residents who have been willing to lend their works of art has ensured, right from the start, that the gallery attracts and appeals to the vital younger segment of the community.

Several days a week, hordes of school-children may be seen trooping through the spacious rooms, most of them apparently entranced by the lively talks on art given by the gallery's growing fleet of volunteer docent guides.

And as part of the policy of providing a gallery that serves as a community arts centre, attracting the widest possible cross-section of the population, musical concerts, fashion shows, plays and lectures are already part of the day-to-day life of the gallery. In addition, rental of the elegant surroundings are proving a popular and "different'' choice for corporate cocktail parties and receptions.

"The gallery is about people,'' says gallery director Mrs. Laura Gorham. "We want people to get involved and use these facilities for their entertainment.

We are planning a Family Night in July, when we're asking people to bring a picnic dinner and then we will have tours for adults and children, so that everyone can get to know the gallery and enjoy it.'' There can be no doubt that the selection of works from the Mary-Jean and Peter Green Collection, loaned by Mr. Green for the rotating exhibitions, has provided an exhilarating bridge over the "culture gap''. Young people, most of whom probably do not list art as one of the priorities of life, have been especially drawn to his Andy Warhol drawings of Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe, examples of Jamaican painting and sculpture by such artists as Kapo and Jonathan Routh and the riveting work of Bridget Riley, Britain's leading "op'' artist.

Other artists of international fame who have been featured include Pierre Bonnard, John Piper, and L.S. Lowrey. One of the undoubted treasures of the current exhibition is a small bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, arguably the greatest sculptor of the 20th century, and paintings by Max Ernst, a major exponent of surrealism, Adrian Stokes, and Alexander Archipenko. There is also a dazzling array of lithographs by such greats as Marc Chagall, Georges Braques, Graham Sutherland, Joan Miro, Roy Lichtenstein and Bulgarian-born Christo.

Just one month after the opening of the main gallery, came another, rather unexpected opening. A donation by local resident Mr. Christopher Ondaatje enabled the speedy conversion of the sixty-five foot balcony into an adjacent gallery, named for Mr. Ondaatje and housing historical Bermudiana, drawn mainly from the Archives and the National Trust.

The current exhibition, entitled Drawings and Watercolours before the 1850s and curated by archivist Mr. John Adams, has been held over by popular demand until the end of the summer. Central to this collection are some of the 35 drawings and watercolours by Thomas Driver, purchased by resident Mrs. Fay Elliott for the people of Bermuda. As Mr. Adams has noted in his introduction to the exhibit: "There is no doubt that (Thomas Driver) is one of the most important people in the art history of Bermuda.'' His pictures provide our earliest, and amazingly accurate depictions of Bermuda as it was in the early 19th century.

Another section is set aside to pay homage to some of our leading, living artists. The first to be featured was Mr. Alfred Birdsey, a prolific artist whose work has gained recognition overseas as well as in Bermuda and for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bermuda Arts Council.

Currently on show is work by Mr. Sam Morse-Brown, landscape and portrait artist whose sitters have included Prince Philip, Field Marshalls Alexander and Montgomery, and King Umberto of Italy. Twenty of his drawings are in the Imperial War Museum in London, and his work has also hung in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

All this feast for the eyes is, of course, in addition to the permanent collections. One room is devoted to European painting and forms the Watlington Collection, bequeathed to Bermuda and spanning four centuries of Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Flemish and English art. Artists represented include Gainsborough, Reynolds, Murillo, Romney, deHooch, Constable and Palma Vecchio.

The upper mezzanine gallery is devoted to the Bermudiana collection from the Masterworks Foundation. Established in 1987 to bring works depicting Bermuda `home' to the Island and to foster an awareness of Bermuda's artistic and cultural heritage, this ever-growing collection includes work by Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keeffe, Clark Vorhees, Charles Demuth, Ogden Pleissner and Jack Bush.

Following the trend of overseas galleries and museums, the National Gallery is also gradually developing its Museum Shop, where posters, cards, prints and art-related stationery, jig-saw puzzles, books, gift wrap and needlepoint kits all provide attractive and unusual gifts. Items that originate from the shops of the Metropolitan Museum in New York and London's National Gallery are in great demand.

Opening this Saturday is the third rotating exhibition -- one which focuses on Bermuda's affinity with the sea. The Exhibition of 18th, 19th and 20th Century Marine Paintings and Models will trace Bermuda's sailing and shipping history and has been planned to coincide with this year's Newport-Bermuda Race.

MRS. LAURA GORHAM: `Gallery is about people.' FOR SALE -- Volunteers Miss Brittany Wivell (left) and Mrs. Kris Dunkle are always ready to help out in the popular Museum Shop at the National Gallery.