Howard Brookes gallery lies in the heart of Gothenburg’s Långgator (Long-streets) on a sunny corner opposite the gourmet restaurant Byns Bistro, the market-hall Briggen and what is probably Sweden’s most beautiful police station.
Gothenburg is often called ‘Little London’ and here on the Långgator there is a continental feeling reminiscent of Soho. There is a rich flora of small businesses with antique-shops and restaurants lying side by side with artist’s studios, recording labs and sex-shops. The area is also an eldorado for record-collectors. A stone’s throw away – on Järntorget, the annual Gothenburg film festival has its base.
The cheerful and friendly atmosphere reminds Howard Brookes of the bustling environment close to the Liverpool docks where he grew up. At the end of the street, large ships pass by, fresh winds gust in from the ocean and the sunshine seems somehow a little brighter.
As an artist, Howard Brookes has been closely associated with the Isle of Marstrand (some forty miles up the coast) where he lived for over thirty years. During this time he has received growing international recognition and his paintings today are hanging in collections throughout the world.