Historic artefacts and art some never before seen by the public will go on show tonight in a major exhibition celebrating Bermuda's 400th anniversary.

The Bermuda National Gallery (BNG) and the Bermuda National Trust (BNT) have joined together to stage '4 Centuries: Evolving Art'.

There are more than 100 display objects embracing a wide range of art mediums and which date from the year of Bermuda's permanent settlement 400 years ago to today.

The exhibition is divided into four periods, each covering 100 years.

It demonstrates how the art of each era both reflects and contributes to the complex narrative of Bermuda and shows how Bermuda's life and art has evolved over time in response to changing social, political and economic forces.

Installations juxtaposed to the displays will also try to raise critical questions about meaning and truth and interactive spaces will encourage the audience to do the same.

BNG curator Sophie Cressall said: "Bermuda's early art forms, of architecture and furniture, have evolved.

"So too, the illustrative works from cartography and landscape painting to more modern abstract pieces.

"Audiences will be able to see how our art forms have evolved over time, and how some artists today are committed to the aesthetics of an earlier era. The exhibition ultimately begs the question: How does our past inform our present?"

And BNG director Lisa Howie said the collaboration between the BNG and BNT was in the spirit of 2009 and also pointed to the future.

"Perhaps more than ever, charities like us need to be joining energies and intelligences in order to best fulfil our community needs and the aims of our institutions," said Mrs. Howie.

"This exhibition has great educational merit and depth, and we look forward to free school tours and educational components such as a DVD being produced by Lucinda Spurling."

She added: "BNG's involvement with the celebrations of 2009 is very important. We are an institution committed to cultural enrichment and social inclusion, and this exhibition gives us another opportunity to closely re-examine our culture, our people and our art."

Jennifer Gray, BNT executive director, said the community would "totally enjoy experiencing" the exhibit, adding: "This thought provoking exhibit has culminated from the hard work of a dynamic knowledgeable team formed from both organisations.

"It is indeed a proud moment for the Trust to have many of our prized collection pieces, some never viewed by the public before, pulled from the archives and various storage facilities and museums to be shown for all to see in fine gallery style."

In conjunction with the exhibition is a film series focusing on documentaries made by Bermudians which will be screened at the BNG and Bermuda College, and conclude with a film forum at the college on November 19.

The Art of (local) Literature will also be celebrated on December 3. James Counts Early, director of Cultural Studies and Communication at the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C, will also give a lecture on October 15, sponsored by PartnerRe.

The exhibit will also serve as the inspiration to BNG's Annual Student Art Competition in December. Students from Primary 5 to Senior Level will be encouraged to respond to the exhibition and provide visions for the future in any medium of their choice.

The opening takes place tonight at the BNG and the exhibition runs until December 23.