Never-berfore seen paintings by a leading British artist will appear in a exhibition attracting scores of international visitors and boosting the city's economy.

Works by Rex Whistler have been released by private collectors to Brighton Museum to appear in the first retrospective dedicated to the artist in more than 40 years.

The Triumph Of Fancy: Rex Whistler 1905-1944 is being billed as a centerpiece for the 40th annual Brighton Festival, which takes place in May next year.

The exhibition is a triumph for curators at the museum run by Brighton and Hove City Council, with organisers predicting massive interest from art lovers across the UK as well as international experts.

Exhibition coordinator Lianne Jarrett said: "There has not been a Whistler show in the UK since the Sixties and it is a real coup for us because we are going to have a lot of work which has never been seen before.

"This will be the main exhibition for the Brighton Festival and will also continue throughout the summer. When the city puts on a big event like this then London will come down to see it and it will be very popular."

Whistler's legacy in Brighton and Hove is already well-documented, with his notorious image, HRH The Prince Regent Awakening The Spirit of Brighton, 1944, in the Royal Pavilion.

The artist was stationed in the city during the Second World War when he completed the painting on the wall of a house in Preston Park Avenue.

He was killed in action just one month later and the painting was removed from the property and relocated to its current home at the Pavilion.

The canvas shocked contemporary audiences and went out on display but hidden behind a curtain.

More than 50 years later it has been voted among Brighton's favourite paintings and continues to attract hundreds of visitors.

Whistler's untimely death before the D-Day invasion helped secure his reputation as a tragic English icon.

His work as a painter, muralist and stage designer often looked back to the art of the previous century setting him apart from his contemporaries.

Council tourism director Adam Bates said: "Having an exhibition like this is great for Brighton because we will see more visitors and those who come will spend money not just in the gallery, but in the hotels, shops and restaurants.

"There will be business out of London and the South-East but there will also be an international appeal which raises the profile of the city overall.

"This type of exhibition helps reinforce that, while we are a traditional seaside resort, we also have a strong arts, culture and heritage which can often get overlooked."