Ronnie Wood: Jimi and Me at the Scene Club N.Y. screenprint, detail

UNSEEN portraits of Jimi Hendrix have gone on display in a former home of the legendary guitarist and songwriter.

Five paintings, including two by his former flatmate Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, are hanging in Mayfair’s Handel Hendrix House in Brook Street until April 11.

“Without doubt it’s an honour and an absolute delight to be unveiling my two new portraits of Jimi Hendrix along with five other works capturing Jimi in action at the Handel Hendrix House in Mayfair,” Ronnie Wood said.

He added: “I first met Jimi in 1966 when he first arrived in London, totally unknown at the time.

“We shared a flat together for a little while in Holland Park and became friends.

“It wasn’t long before he stunned us all with those outstanding first performances especially one at the Bag O’ Nails club in Soho.

Jimi Study, pencil on paper 42 x 20.5cm

“I’ve created the moment I witnessed the great man on stage in one of the paintings to be exhibited. Jimi’s immense and unique talent took guitar playing to another planet and I hope the paintings capture all that and more.”

The Stones guitar legend, artist and gallerist, first met Hendrix while playing bass for The Jeff Beck Group in America.

He remembered him as a quiet and very sweet man, noting he would casually play the guitar both right and left-handed, but was surprisingly insecure about his voice.

Simon Daniels, director of Handel Hendrix House, said: “We are excited to be sharing with our visitors this collection in the place Jimi called home, particularly never-before-seen artworks of Hendrix relaxing in his Brook Street flat.”

Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) moved into Brook Street in 1712 and Hendrix (1942-1970) lived in the adjoining property in the late 1960s.