A BERMUDA-based antique and art dealer is showcasing his comprehensive collection to a global audience by re-launching their interactive website on Monday, September 29.

The website for Nicholas Lusher Antiques & Fine Art will offer a wide array of historic Bermuda oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, sculptures, engravings, antique maps, rare books, vintage and later posters, photography, furniture, decorative smalls, Boer POW crafts, banknotes, coins and ceramics.

Via the web address, www.nicholaslusher.com, art enthusiasts will be able to view pictures of the entire catalogue of artwork for sale and learn more about each item's background and context that gave rise to its production.

Owner Nicholas Lusher believes that the website is evidence of the continued growth of the arts in Bermuda, a trend, he says, that has accelerated over the past 20 years.

"The general public in Bermuda are very much more aware of the visual arts on the island than they were two decades ago," he said. "Our move to broaden our web presence is a natural response to this local market as well as the global market that now defines the art world."

As Bermuda's 400th anniversary quickly approaches, interest in the island's unique history has also increased. Mr. Lusher believes that people may find that the website is a virtual portal to the past and will "find the site particularly interesting as many facets of the island's history are discussed more in depth than is readily available (elsewhere)."

Mr. Lusher has been in the art business for more than 25 years and trained at what is now known as Sotheby's Institute. He pursued a degree in Modern History at King's College at the University of London, and subsequently became a Trustee at the Bermuda National Gallery, where he was also a member of the Director's Circle. He has also been a Trustee of The Bermuda Society of Arts.

Mr. Lusher is widely known for his extensive knowledge about the visual arts, particularly artwork originating from Bermuda. As such, on the occasion of the marriage of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, to Britain's Prince Andrew, he was approached by the Government of Bermuda to identify an appropriate gift to mark the royal occasion on behalf of the people of Bermuda.

The office of Nicholas Lusher Antiques & Fine Art is presently located on Church Street and buys and sells art by appointment. For more information visit www.nicholaslusher.com or phone: 232-3454.