One of his favourite pieces is his portrait of eye doctor Wai McWatt, the woman Brown credits with saving his sight and allowing him to keep painting after a lengthy fear of going blind that would have ended his career.

Dr McWatt’s son, Tom Martin, now works at Merchant Taylors’.

Louise Robinson, headmistress of the girls’ school, said: “It is a great privilege and an honour to have an artist of Tony Brown’s calibre in the school.

“It has been such an exciting project to open up a proper gallery.”

The gallery comprises part of the school’s new reception and front entrance, designed by Crosby architects Saunders Bell, which was officially opened by the Lord-Lieutenant for Merseyside, Dame Lorna Muirhead, in February this year.

Recreating the entrance of the Liverpool Road school, which was built in 1888, adjacent to the site of the original boys’ school, built in 1620, the architects had to work carefully within the historic listed building.

Tony Brown’s exhibition, which runs until July 9, follows shows of work at the school by Liverpool sculptor Tony Evans and Merchant Taylors’ old girl Elspeth Hamilton.