Thursday, 2 January 2014

Shout, Whisper & Sing

Shout, Whisper & Sing - We are open again, Happy New Year!


Shout, Whisper & Sing 
Front cover artwork by Victor Ambrus for Shout, Whisper & Sing
Published by The Bodley Head, 1989
£1850

We have an fantastic range of illustrations by the incredible Victor Ambrus, more of which can be viewed here

All artwork is available to purchase and can be viewed at the gallery any time. We are open 9.30am - 6.00pm, weekdays and 11.00am - 5.00pm Saturdays. We look forward to seeing you.



Tuesday, 1 October 2013

The Art of John Lawrence and Celebration of the publication Wayland

The Art of John Lawrence
Celebrating the publication of Wayland

18th September - 12th October 2013



John Lawrence at Illustrationcupboard Gallery, signing copies of The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman


John Lawrence’s bold yet intricately expressive engravings have transformed Illustrationcupboard Gallery into a world of adventure and romance. Our celebration of his art exhibits his work from several books, including Treasure Island, The Once and Future King, and His Dark Materials. Rare and wonderful watercolours for Watership Down can be seen, too. Pride of place, however, is taken by his latest collaboration with Tony Mitton, bringing to life the ancient Norse myth of Wayland the Smith in a new retelling.

Fairy-tales and myths thrum with an undercurrent of danger and risk, and John and Tony have powerfully foregrounded this element in their work, intensifying the appeal of the story for both children and adults. Wayland is an experience which will stay with you a long time.

We are delighted that both illustrator and author will join us tomorrow evening for the launch of Wayland. In anticipation of this exciting event, have a look at John’s superbly evocative illustrations, pictured below and available to view online: www.illustrationcupboard.com


Wayland stood firm, Vinyl engraving, 210 x 330mm, £750


Out of the lands far North, Vinyl engraving, 190 x 220, £450


Bright wonders for folk to behold, Vinyl engraving, 185 x 125mm, £350


John Lawrence is a formidable artist, respected by his peers, publishers and collectors alike. Widely recognised as one of the greatest working engravers, his talents have led him to receive the Victoria and Albert Museum's prestigious Frances Williams Illustration Award twice along with a host of other international accolades. His work appears widely across the world in public and private collections, including the V & A in London.

As John approaches his eightieth birthday, Illustrationcupboard Gallery is delighted to host a striking solo exhibition for this wonderful artist. Celebrating the publication of his latest book, Wayland ( a collaboration with author Tony Mitton), we shall showcase the technical prowess as well as the imaginative range of his illustrative oeuvre. There will be drawings from the original illustrated Watership Down as well as more recent wood cuts and engravings produced for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. This stunning selection from John's work will provide a unique insight into the artist for collectors and enthusiasts interested in the art of engraving.


Monday - Friday 9.30am - 6.00pm, Saturdays 11.00am - 5.00pm
+44(0)207 976 1727

Illustrationcupboard
22 Bury Street
St. James's
London
SW1Y 6AL

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

The BIG-Hearted Auction : Tuesday 6th August

Hodder Children’s book illustrators Quentin Blake, Tony Ross, David Melling, Cressida Cowell, Lauren Child, Alex T. Smith, Nicholas Allan, John Vernon Lord and Mick Inkpen have specially donated artwork showing their best-loved character holding a heart or, their unique style featuring a heart. 
The donations have been made to mark the publication of The BIG-Hearted Book by Nicholas Allan, published by Hodder Children’s Books, written in support of the International Children's Heart Foundation.A silent charity auction of the donated artwork will be held on Tuesday 6th August at the Illustration Cupboard in London, 5.30pm – 7pm. Bidding is open to anyone by contacting Illustration Cupboard on 0207 976 1727 to place a one-off bid and leaving contact details as reference. The nine pieces have been displayed online in The Telegraph and can be viewed by visiting 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10191723/Childrens-illustrators-show-heart.html#?frame=2622639

John Huddy of the Illustration Cupboard has freely donated the use of his gallery and all the profits from the auction of the artworks will go directly to the International Children’s Heart Foundation. Bidding will close on Tuesday 6th August at 7pm and the winning bidders for the nine pieces of artwork will be contacted to arrange payment and delivery of their artwork. Please note, as all bids will be ‘silent’ and the artwork will sell to the highest bid at close of bidding, you may be outbid. Please call 0207 976 1727 for further details and bids.



Happy Heart by Quentin Blake


Mick Inkpen’s famous Wibbly Pig and heart


Girl with heart shaped trees by Tony Ross


Cressida Cowell’s How To Train Your Dragon hero, Hiccup with Toothless and heart


Alex T. Smith’s Claude and Sir Bobblysock with giant heart



Hugless Douglas sending you a heart by David Melling



Nicholas Allan’s Babette and Bill from The BIG-Hearted Book


Lauren Child’s Lola with heart

John Vernon Lord
While we were discussing details of the charity auction at the Illustration Cupboard, John Vernon Lord spontaneously drew this on the back of an envelope for us to add to the auction.

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Clowning around with Mr Benn

David McKee has added a little extra to the 40 year anniversary Mr Benn silkscreen (limited to 99) and individually hand drawn and coloured Mr Benn's imagined activity in a variety of poses, £850.




David also dropped off a bonanza of Mr Benn merchandise:
We were bowled over by the Mr Benn wooden skittles which have been beautifully designed by Roger Copple, £39.99 and signed by David.

And to get yourself in the Mr Benn mood, we have a number of copies of 'As if by Magic', a CD including the signature tune for the opening title, by Duncan Lamont Big Band featuring Kenny Wheeler, £12.99.
 
All CDs have been signed by David McKee and Duncan Lamont.
*Special Offer* - buy Skittles and CD together at the discounted price of £49.99
Pop into the gallery or call us on 0207 976 1727 to purchase.

Thursday, 16 May 2013

THE WORLD OF DAVE McKEAN
Book launch for MOUSE BIRD SNAKE WOLF
May 15th 2013




We were thrilled to celebrate the fantastic launch of Mouse Bird Snake Wolf illustrated by Dave McKean and written by David Almond (pictured).

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is the third collaboration from Dave and David and is absolutely brimming with magic! Original artwork by Dave McKean is on show in the gallery alongside plenty of books 
(also including: Slog's Dad and The Savage) all double signed.

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

Moulins Merveilleuse

Congratulations to the Musée d'Illustration Jeunesse in Moulins! 

I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to visit this inspirational museum in France last week and met the charming curator Emmanuelle Martinat-Dupre. A most enjoyable afternoon was spent touring this wonderful chateau, surveying the current exhibit entitled Même Pas Peur featuring artwork by Tomi Ungerer, as well as the pride of the French collection of illustrated books and original artwork. In hushed reverence I was ushered in to the back room of treasures and was privileged to been shown a broad selection of the collection this museum now holds.

Along with the Eric Carle Museum in the US and Seven Stories in the UK this institution must rank as one of the leading repositories of illustration artwork. Their feast of forthcoming events is exciting and I look forward with relish to a return visit later this year. Housed in the beauty of central France  a pleasant train ride from Paris well rewards for the visitor, which I highly recommend.


Friday, 8 February 2013

HOORAY FOR BREAD! Illustrations by Bruce Ingman Exhibition launch

On Wednesday the 6th of February 2013 we celebrated the launch of Hooray for Bread illustrated by Bruce Ingman and written by Allan Ahlberg. Hooray for Bread is the fifth book from this remarkable duo, following the success of Everybody was a Baby Once, Previously, The Pencil and The Runaway Dinner.

Bruce Ingman and Zoe Toft

Allan Ahlberg

The evening was a fantastic success with Gail's Bakery sponsoring the evening with delicious artisan breads.
Baker's hats and even a Bread Headdress were donned!


Bruce and Allan signed stacks of books. 
Bruce took the time to draw an individual bread illustration in each one too! 

Axel Scheffler and Bruce Ingman



For more photos visit our Flickr page. 


Bruce Ingman's first book, When Martha's Away, was published in 1995 to great critical acclaim, winning The V&A Illustration Award. Bruce also won the prestigious Mother Goose Award as the most exciting British newcomer to children's books.

Since then Bruce has produced a number of highly distinctive and individual books including Lost Property (Methuen, 1997) and A Night on the Tiles (Methuen, 1998), Bad News I'm in Charge! (Walker Books, 2003) and Boing! (Walker Books, 2004) written by Sean Taylor. More recently he has worked in tandem with the author Allan Ahlberg and produced a number of picture books.

Hooray for Bread is a deliciously playful story which tells the tale of a loaf of bread. Bruce Ingman experiments with a softer style of illustration and his gentle, charming pictures complement the text perfectly. The original artwork from the book will be exhibited and available for purchase, alongside a selection of Bruce's other book illustrations. The exhibition will continue from the 7th to the 23rd of February 2013. Signed books are also be available to purchase.

For more artwork and information on Bruce Ingman visit his artist's page on our website:
http://www.illustrationcupboard.com/artist.aspx?aId=97&page=0