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Quentin Blake – the man best known for drawing the Twits, the BFG, Willy Wonka and the rest of Roald Dahl’s motley crew of characters – has been trying to make a gallery dedicated to illustration happen for a long, long time. In just a few months time, his dream will finally become reality.
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is opening its doors in May. Set in an eighteenth century waterworks in Clerkenwell, it’ll be the largest gallery for illustrations in the world, showcasing work from legends of the art form alongside rising stars. Now, its full lineup of debut exhibitions has been confirmed.
Quentin Blake: Performance will showcase how Blake’s illustrations have been informed by theatrical traditions, with more than 100 of his original works on display. In his early career, he illustrated opening night performances to sit next to theatre reviews and later on drew the work of Ancient Greek, Elizabethan and modern playwrights, from William Shakespeare to Samuel Beckett.
The centre’s other inaugural exhibition will be the UK’s first show dedicated to LGBTQ+ comic-makers. Titled Queer as Comics, it’ll track queer comic-making from the 1940s to the present day with strip cartoons, graphic novels, zines and, of course, comics.
It’s been curated by renowned comics specialist Paul Gravett and will feature the UK’s first published gay comic strip (a 1969 parody of James Bond – ‘randy dandy with the handy pandy’), the first gay black superhero and Tove Jansson’s Moomin cartoon strip based on herself and the lesbian community, which was published in the London Evening Standard. There’ll be works from more than 60 artists, many of which have never been on public display before.
Those two shows sit alongside the previously announced exhibition dedicated to Murugiah, one of illustration’s rising stars. The Mururgiah: Ever Feel Like... exhibition will showcase his kaleidoscopic prints, paintings and sketches drawing upon his Sri Lankan heritage and Welsh upbringing.
When it opens in May, entry to the Quentin Blake Centre will cost £16.50 for adults and £6.60 for kids. That will get you entry to all of the exhibitions. You can also purchase a membership from £45 for the year, which includes access to all exhibitions, 10 percent discount in the Centre shop and café and priority booking for talks, courses and workshops.
Plus: One of London’s most creative restaurants is opening at the new V&A East Museum.
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