The artist father of United star Robin van Persie is to exhibit his artworks in Manchester – inspired by the crowds of fans who cheer on his son.

Bob Van Persie is an acclaimed artist in his native Holland, but will showcase an exhibition of his works in the UK for the first time here in Manchester next month.

His works are inspired by the many crowds and terraces he has experienced throughout his life as a fan of the beautiful game and as the father of a superstar footballer.

And one of his most recent works pays testament to that – with a sea of paper dolls wearing United red. Perhaps not one likely to be snapped up by a City fan, he exclusively told the M.E.N.

He said: “That one big piece with flashlights in that has very little blue – that’s more one for the Manchester United people, I think!

“In a stadium, when there is a corner being taken, the people behind the corner start flashing their cameras because they know the camera is on them. That’s what moment I have made in that work.”

Bob, whose art career has spanned 40 years, uses newspapers and magazines collected from around the world to make up the collages of paper figures in his artworks.

Using previously unwanted materials, he recycles them to create the faceless people gathered in a scene, such as the pulsating stands of a football stadium.

And so it’s fitting that, as a prelude to his major show, the National Football Museum in Cathedral Gardens is currently hanging several pieces of his work in their galleries.

Bob says: “The perception of a roaring crowd is like a breeze through cornfields. It sends shivers down my spine.

“If you arrive in a stadium early and see the stands fill up, it’s like a painting being born. Every time it’s different, everything is possible. You don’t see faces – just shapes and colours.

“They’re all individuals, but by being together they create something new. That’s what fascinates me.”

The exhibition will launch with a private view on September 12, and is then open free to the public until October 5 at the Richard Goodall Gallery on High Street in the Northern Quarter.

And it’s certainly something of a coup for gallery owner Richard.

He says: “Bob’s work is truly original. The passion that Bob displays when creating his unique pieces is inspiring and we are honoured to be presenting his first UK exhibition.”

There’s no word as yet on whether Reds striker Robin, who lived with his father from the age of 5 after his parents split up, is due to attend the preview.