A groundbreaking exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of Cornwall's greatest artist has opened at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.

John Opie was the son of a St Agnes carpenter but his modest upbringing didn't prevent his genius as an artist being spotted when he was only 14 years old by Dr John Wolcot - a Truro-based medical practitioner.

The year was 1775 and Dr Wolcot, an artist himself, offered to teach the young boy. Opie learned quickly and, over the next five years, established himself as a portrait painter with most of the locally prominent families. Thanks to their connections and Dr Wolcot's determination to see his protégé succeed at the very highest levels, John Opie went to London.

Hailed by no less a luminary than the great Sir Joshua Reynolds, Opie found both fame and fortune in the capital. He painted for the King, became a professor of the Royal Academy and, following his sudden death at only 45, achieved the very rare distinction of being buried in St Paul's Cathedral.

"Opie's story is so incredible it deserves to be turned into a film," said Philip Mould, one of the country's leading fine art experts who opened John Opie: A Celebration of the Cornish Wonder'. This exhibition is really exciting and significant. John Opie absorbed the work of his contemporaries but still ploughed his own furrow - achieving an individuality that reflects his extraordinary life.' Viv Hendra has written The Cornish Wonder A Portrait of John Opie' to coincide with the exhibition.

"People will be amazed when they see his paintings and the way they have been organised in this exhibition is bewitching," he said. "John Opie was one of Cornwall's greatest sons and it is only fitting that his incomparable life and work should be on display in Truro - the city where it all started."

Lucinda Middleton, the museum's curator of fine art, came up with the idea for the exhibition four years ago.

"John Opie is Cornwall's greatest artist and I felt there should be a tribute to mark the 200th anniversary of his death," she said. "The paintings have been loaned from a variety of galleries throughout the country and my greatest challenge has been ensuring that each of them could get through our doors because some of the canvases are very large.

"There have been a lot of worrying moments along the way but I'm delighted that the whole thing has come together so well."

Many invited guests attended the exhibition's private view and thousands of visitors are expected to view it over the coming months.

Viv Hendra will be giving a talk about John Opie and his book on Saturday November 17 at 2pm in Truro City Hall. Tickets, available from the Royal Cornwall Museum, cost £5 each. Rebecca Hellen, who did conservation work on one of the exhibited paintings, will also be giving a talk on Thursday November 29 at 6.30pm. Tickets for that event cost £2 each.

The John Opie exhibition will run at the Royal Cornwall Museum until 19 January 2008.