AN Ilkley company has won the

contract to provide one of Britain's newest cultural centres with a

massive hi-tech library of a world famous artist's life and works.

The company, iBase Image Systems, has already completed the first phase of the project to catalogue the works of L S Lowry in line for the opening of Manchester's new Lowry cultural centre in May this year.

As well as including details of the artist's life, the database provides members of the public with access to a virtual tour of his paintings, letters and drawings.

The system is designed for educating children and students, as well as anyone with a general interest in the artist, who is chiefly renowned for his 'matchstick' figures inhabiting the grim, industrial streets of his native city.

The project's second phase will be a much larger undertaking, using very high resolution scans of Lowry works and text documents. Visitors to the Lowry Galleries will be able to search the database using touch screens in special terminals, and the eventual plan is to place the whole collection 'online'.

Lindsay Brooks, Curator of the Lowry, said: "We wanted to make the collection of L S Lowry's work available to as many people as possible, and using the most up-to-date methods, we will be able to provide long-distance access to these works.

The system handles not only the paintings, but correspondence and other papers relating to Lowry's life and work. Once the second phase is complete, this will be a rich resource for anyone with an interest in art."

Bob Hamilton, the research and development director at iBase, which is based at Marsel House, Station Road, said: "Working with the Lowry has provided us with the opportunity to explore new and exciting techniques in the area of public access to art collections.

"This gives gallery visitors an insight into Lowry the man and the full range of his talent which is far broader than is usually understood."