The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, the UK's first permanent public arts space for illustration, has announced its debut exhibitions.
The new centre, due to open in May in a restored waterworks in Clerkenwell, will house galleries, an illustration library, a creative studio, gardens, a café, and a shop selling illustration gifts.
Its opening exhibitions are Quentin Blake: Performance, Queer as Comics, and Murugiah: Ever Feel Like..., which was announced last year.
Quentin Blake: Performance will look at the artist's depiction of theatre through illustration, including circus, pantomime, Greek comedy and Shakespearean drama.
"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," said Blake.
The centre's artistic director, Olivia Ahmad, said: "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."
Queer as Comics will celebrate 80 years of LGBTQIA+ comics, showcasing previously-unseen original works by more than 60 artists from around the world.
"Comics have a long tradition of being subversive: neither art nor literature but using both to make their messages captivate readers," said curator Paul Gravett.
"Under the radar, comics lend themselves perfectly to queer themes as brilliantly showcased in the exhibition."
Murugiah: Ever Feel Like... will be a kaleidoscopic exploration of identity through prints, paintings and sketches inspired by Hollywood film, sci-fi and 2000s era pop-punk.
Quentin Blake: Performance will be open until May 2027, Queer as Comics until 4 October 2026, and Murugiah: Ever Feel Like… through 31 August 2026.
Images courtesy of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
