Quentin Blake: Illustrating Verse

Currently showing at:

Lighthouse, Poole Centre for the Arts
29 September 2023 to 6 January 2024

“The choice of moments, and a sense of discretion about what to draw and what not to draw, is particularly important in the business of illustrating poetry.” Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake has been writing and illustrating poetry throughout his 60-year career. Many of his own books feature rhymes and songs, and he has collaborated with writers including Michael Rosen and Roald Dahl.

As well as artwork for popular nursery rhymes like The Owl and the Pussycat, the exhibition features previously unseen works from Blake’s archive – surreal illustrations for Sylvia Plath’s The Bed Book and mischievous cats for T. S. Elliot’s The Song of the Jellicles.

Sketchbooks and rough drawings give a rare insight into Blake’s writing and design process, as well as the creation of characters for Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This exhibition features original illustrations courtesy of Quentin Blake.

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