World’s largest space dedicated to illustration announces debut exhibitions

In May, Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will open its doors to visitors at its new home in a restored waterworks in Clerkenwell. The Centre will be London’s newest cultural destination, offering vibrant and varied activities and displays for people of all ages. The opening follows a 25-year campaign by the UK’s much-loved illustrator Quentin Blake to establish a permanent national centre for illustration, and builds on the charity’s previous temporary stint as House of Illustration in Kings Cross.

A dynamic programme of exhibitions across three gallery spaces will explore illustration in all its forms. For the first time, Performance will explore how theatrical traditions have influenced the almost 80-year career of much-loved illustrator, Quentin Blake. The inaugural Quentin Blake exhibition at the Centre is a rare opportunity to see over 100 of his original works on paper, many of which have never been publicly displayed before.

Quentin’s work has often been stimulated by drama – from his early career illustrating opening night performances to accompany theatre reviews, including Laurence Olivier’s iconic turn in The Entertainer (1957), to the pantomime inspiration for Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (1978). Beyond children’s books, Quentin has illustrated the work of Ancient Greek, Elizabethan and modern playwrights including William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett.

Seldom seen preparatory material will give an insight into Quentin’s working process. Quentin’s own works Angelo (1970) and Clown (1965) feature, as well as his illustrations from Punch magazine. One of Quentin’s most recent illustration projects will be on public display for the first time: nearly 40 depictions of Macbeth characters as birds.

Quentin Blake says, “Illustrating is like directing a play, except that you also get to design the scenery and play all the parts. I can’t wait for the curtain to go up on the new exhibition.”

Artistic Director Olivia Ahmad says, “For Quentin, a blank sheet of paper is like an empty stage, just waiting for him to draw in the scenery and the characters who will tell his stories. His unmistakable drawings are fizzing with kinetic energy and it’s no wonder that vital acrobats, mime artists and circus performers have been finding their way into his work for almost 80 years.”

The Centre will also open with Queer as Comics, a landmark exhibition depicting for the first time in the UK stories of fantasy, identity and resistance told across time by queer comic-makers. Spanning the 1940s to present day, this first major exhibition of LGBTQIA+ comic-making in the UK will feature rarely displayed original artwork from comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines.

Most artworks are on display for the first time ever with over 60 artists featured, ranging from underground creators to influential icons, including Tove Jansson, David Shenton, Rupert Kinnard, Alison Bechdel and Tom of Finland. Curated by renowned comics specialist Paul Gravett, Queer as Comics will chronicle the significance of comics for queer art and literature over the past 80 years.

Highlights include: the UK’s first published gay comic strip: a 1969 parody of James Bond – James Blond as the “randy dandy with the handy pandy”; works by Rupert Kinnard, creator of the ‘Brown Bomber’ – the first gay Black superhero; and Jansson’s Moomin cartoon strip for London Evening News with characters based on herself and her lesbian community. The first recurring queer-coded characters to appear in a mainstream British news publication are attributed to Jansson.

Curator Paul Gravett says, “Comics have a long tradition of being subversive: neither art nor literature but using both to make their messages captivate readers. Under the radar, comics lend themselves perfectly to queer themes as brilliantly showcased in the exhibition.”

Previously announced exhibition MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… will immerse visitors into the British-Sri Lankan illustrator and designer’s kaleidoscopic world.

The Centre’s opening follows the redevelopment of a derelict 18th and 19th waterworks at New River Head in Clerkenwell, London, led by Tim Ronalds Architects. Support for the £12.5m project, which also includes a Library, learning spaces, café and shop, includes £3.75 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. Other investment includes the London Borough of Islington and support from trusts, foundations and philanthropists.

Membership tickets will be on sale Wednesday 18 March at 12pm, available from qbcentre.org.uk(opens in new window)