able to see a rare watercolour view of Bermuda by one of America's most famous artists.

One of his lesser known paintings, Winslow Homer's depiction of ss.Trinidad off the North Shore, went on view for a five-day period at the Gallery yesterday, hanging alongside his Inland Waterway, which is owned by the Masterworks Foundation.

The North Shore view, entitled simply, `Bermuda' by the artist, has been loaned to Masterworks by Sotheby's New York. It has been brought to Bermuda by Mr. Peter Rathbone, Specialist-in-Charge of American paintings, drawings and sculpture at Sotheby's.

The painting failed to reach its reserve price at a Sotheby's auction last year.

Mrs. Elise Outerbridge, speaking on behalf of Masterworks, says that the display of this Homer painting is a preamble for a major show planned by Masterworks in the year 2001.

"At that time, we shall be getting as many of Homer's Bermuda paintings as possible, down here on loan for a special exhibition. We're hoping that this opportunity to see one of his lesser known works will whet peoples' appetites for a future major show.'' Winslow Homer is thought to have painted about 21 pictures of Bermuda. There is some confusion as to the precise number, as Homer often inscribed and dated his work some time after the event. As a result, some of the paintings attributed to the Bahamas, are now accepted as having been depictions of Bermuda.

According to Mrs. Outerbridge, Homer was "very fond'' of the North Shore. He made two visits to Bermuda, and this painting belongs to his second visit, in 1901. The Trinidad , was Bermuda's regular tourist ship of the time, and his arrival here was noted in the weekly list of arrivals in The Royal Gazette , simply as `W. Homer'.

Homer was proud of his watercolours, which were usually executed on his vacations which he liked to spend in warmer climates than his home, where he executed most of his great oil paintings, at Prout's Neck in Maine. Besides visiting Florida and the Adirondacks, he also travelled to Cuba, the Bahamas and, of course, Bermuda.

Homer apparently, at one point, expressed the wish that his Bermuda and Bahamas works be retained as a group by a museum or gallery.

WORK OF ART -- One of American artist Winslow Homer's lesser known painting, the depiction of ss. Trinidad off the North Shore, is on view for the week at the National Gallery at City Hall. The display is a preamble for a major show planned by Masterworks in the year 2001. The Queen will visit the Gallery tomorrow.