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In the latter part of 2004 Louise McHale realised she preferred living in Leicester, so she abandoned London and set up Vanilla Art Gallery and Consultancy.Louise first came to Leicester in 2000 to study for an MA in Museum Studies. She had previously graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in History of Art and Spanish, and having worked for the National Museum of Ireland decided this would be the best way to progress her career. On completing her MA dissertation she worked at the National Portrait Gallery before realising that the commercial art market was where she would rather be. This resulted in a spell at the Kings Road Gallery, London before returning to Leicester to work at Heathcote Ball Fine Art and Antique auction house.

She remained there until it sadly had to close after the death of founder John Ball. At this point she returned to work in London with Broadbent, a contemporary art gallery in Notting Hill specialising in the work of mid-career abstract artists. The gallery aims to display art by local and national artists in a friendly and approachable environment, catering to the art connoisseur and novice alike. Exhibitions change roughly every six weeks, bringing you the best selection from the contemporary art market. Buying art can be a big decision and Louise tries to make the process as easy as possible. There is the opportunity to view paintings in your own home before you buy.

A gift list service is available, whereby friends and family can purchase the perfect present for a special occasion. Art not only makes your home a more attractive place, but can also improve the appearance of the workplace, making it more appealing to both employees and clients. Louise will work closely with you to help select exactly the right style of art to complement your corporate image. It is also possible to arrange rental of artworks if you wish to update the appearance of your office or front of house area on a regular basis. During the year there is a busy exhibition schedule at the Gallery which is listed on page 149

or for further information log on to www.vanillaart.co.uk