One of the most important exhibitions of early Bermuda art ever staged in Bermuda opened at the Nicholas Lusher Arts and Antiques Gallery yesterday.

Entitled `Picturing Bermuda Before the Great War', with all pieces of work for sale, the show features such British artists as Colonel Hallewell and Mary Parker (`M.P.') West, and Americans Ross Sterling Turner, Dwight Blaney, Evelyn Bicknell (wife of well-known artist Frank), J.F. Reynolds, Dora Murdoch, Henry Webster Rice and Edith Watson.

"I think that, ten years ago, it would have been unheard of for a local gallery to be exhibiting a collection of this stature,'' says proprietor Mr.

Lusher.

Noting that his gallery opened in the Phase II section of the Washington Mall in September, he points out that the new gallery is the first of its kind, specialising in 19th and early 20th Century Bermuda-related art. Quite apart from this particular exhibit, he has works by well known American artists William Chadwick, Reynolds Beal and Gifford Beal for sale. "I believe this country is edging -- and I would stress the word `edging' -- its way into the big league in terms of the art market. Crawling at the moment, maybe, but certainly going in the right direction.'' He likens his job to that of an archaeologist, "unearthing new paintings, new artists and new information as it relates to the history of fine art in Bermuda. I have to follow the leads, sometimes brushing the surrounding `earth' carefully away before I can be sure of what I have found!'' He reveals that there is an increasingly strong interest in historical Bermuda paintings, both in the private and corporate sector. "That was very noticeable in the first show I held, featuring the work of Karl Struss who photographed Bermuda between 1912 and 1914. It was a huge success, and I sold 29 out of the 43 images on show.

"Now this exhibit is offering work that is worth around $150,000, with some pieces in the $5,000 to $10,000 bracket and as much as $25,000 for one particular image. This has already been a record year for me in terms of gross sales, and I've been dealing in art since 1982. I think customers are increasingly looking for better quality images and demand is now outstripping supply -- which is the basic ingredient for a healthy art market!'' Mr. Lusher believes that the upsurge of interest in purchasing early Bermuda art is part of the overall renewal of interest in art generally in the Island.

Although he sometimes deals in non-Bermudian work, the focus of the gallery is firmly on Bermuda.

"There seems to be a consistent interest in things Bermudian,'' he says.

"From my point of view, as a dealer, it is obvious that non-Bermudian images are far more at the mercies of cycles in artistic taste, so it makes sense to concentrate on art with a local connection. Basically, I am dealing in the art and history of our country. Both Struss and this show endorse our national identity,'' he adds.

"This, in spite of the fact that the majority of artists are American or British, we get a wonderful sense of Bermuda's past, present and future and this art becomes a foil for one's ideals.'' He points out that there has never been a `Bermuda art school', per se, as in `Bermudian impressionists' or `Bermudian modernists': "Art here comes from many different sources. But what unifies Bermuda's art is the subject matter. Bermuda itself has become the inspiration for the subject matter.'' No, he insists, there is certainly nothing wrong with Bermuda's apparent artistic love affair with itself. "Increasingly, we see that the western market for fine art is being defined along regional lines -- for example, the Group of Seven is largely sold in Canada. So it becomes eminently logical that American renditions of Bermuda scenes, for instance, arouse great interest in Bermuda when they come to market.'' For this reason, he continues, he welcomes visitors who come just to look at the pictures on view. "When you walk into this exhibition, I think you get a real sense of history and I find that everyone has an opinion about Bermuda's past, and everyone has an opinion about art. It's very rare,'' he laughs, "for a person to come in and remain completely silent and express no opinion at all about what is on the walls! Art show "I believe this show appeals very strongly on both historical and aesthetic grounds.'' This present show, beautifully presented in his minimalist 500 square foot gallery, includes some very early works. Most intriguing, perhaps is the eight-piece series of Hallewell lithograph engravings dating from 1849, and featuring some of the Island's most commanding views. A large painting by Edward James and dating back to the 1860s, captures wonderfully the transformation of St. George's into an unusually busy port during the Civil War: the picture is dominated by a large, "new-fangled'' steam boat from which the Confederate flag is flying.

In Mr. Lusher's view, collecting art can be life-enhancing. "A collection becomes like a living organism and it changes constantly, as a collector's taste changes.'' And what does the average art lover need in order to become a collector? Quite apart from the obligatory deep pockets, Nicholas Lusher adds that "you need lots of closet space, because a real collection goes far beyond decorating a few walls and, finally, it's best to have no memory -- because if you remember when a certain picture sold for a certain price and then re-enters the market at a much higher price, that's when you need to wear blinkers''.

`Picturing Bermuda Before the Great War' may be viewed at the Washington Mall Gallery on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through December 24.

OLD PEMBROKE COTTAGE -- `St. John's Hill', painted in 1913 by American artist Henry W. Rice, is one of the pictures included in Nicholas Lusher's current exhibition of early Bermudian art.