THE extravagant beauty of the Carnival of Venice has gone on display at a new exhibition in Neilston.

The Bank is hosting a show of intriguing, beguiling and colourful images from the collection of local photographer Anne Kopplin.

A tradition dating back 700 years, the Carnival of Venice takes place in the Italian city every year, ending with the celebration of Lent, 40 days before Easter.

The festival is world famous for its elaborate masks and costume balls, with participants strolling through the streets, ready to catch the eye of photographers.

Anne’s photographs, taken using a Nikon F80 camera, reveal the magical carnival in all its striking beauty.

She said: “I do hope after people see this they will try to make the effort to go to Venice for the carnival, especially any budding photographers, but it’s great for anyone.

“Venice is an amazing, fascinating place at any time of year but, from February to March, people get dressed up in these incredible fancy costumes.

“You’ll go to cafes and see people sitting there dressed like it’s the time of Mozart, with great wigs and gowns, and it is wonderful. The whole city comes alive.”

Born in Neilston, Anne has lived much of her life abroad. She left the village when she was 17 to relocate to America, going on to live in the West Indies and Germany for many years, before eventually returning back home.

Her interest in photography developed while she was travelling the world, witnessing sights she wanted to record and share with others.

She said: “I’ve always preferred taking pictures of people to landscapes. I like to travel to places like India and Vietnam, where the people have such interesting faces.

“I always thought I didn’t want to be on my death bed, wishing that I’d travelled more. I wouldn’t have that problem now, because I’ve done so much, but there’s still a lot more to see.”

Opening times for the exhibition are 9am until 4pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11am to 4pm on Fridays.