Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Clerkenwell, House Of Illustration, london, quentin blake, Quentin Blake Centre For Illustration

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Opens In London This June

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration finally opens in London on the 5th of June, 2026. I'll definitely be going, will you?

The House Of Illustration collection of art galleries and classes used to be housed just north of King's Cross Station in London. It first opened in 2013, offering exhibitions, classes, talks and lots of Quentin Blake-related work. You could have seen it all over the Things To Do In London If You Like Comics lists that Bleeding Cool ran. But the pandemic and shutdowns hit the House of Illustration hard. It went online, but lost its location.

At the end of 2023, I reported that it would be reopening in a new location in Clerkenwell in 2025, just a twenty minute walk from its original location. renamed as The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. I was wrong. Instead, the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will now open to the public on Friday, the 5th of June, 2026, in its new Clerkenwell location, and will be the world's largest space dedicated to illustration, with three wide-ranging exhibitions, a cafe, shop, gardens and free spaces including a Library and Creative Studio. The nearest tube stop is Farringdon, but you might want to get the bus.

Tickets for the Centre's special exhibitions will go on sale on Wednesday, the 29th of April 2026, including access to the following exhibits:

• Quentin Blake: Performance, over a hundred original and rarely-seen drawings in the exhibition, showcasing the theatrical influences of the illustrator, best known for illustrating the works of Roald Dahl and David Walliams. iT will chart the beloved artist's depiction of theatre through illustration, encompassing circus, panto, Greek comedy and Shakespearean drama. It will cover everything 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. 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."

• Queer as Comics, the first major exhibition on queer comic-making in the UK, depicts for the first time here, stories of fantasy, identity and resistance told across time by queer comic-makers. Spanning the 1940s to the 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." Queer as Comics is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust. BSL interpretation for Queer as Comics has been awarded by the Exhibitions Group. It has been created by guest curator Paul Gravett and supported by an Advisory Board panel.

• MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… a kaleidoscopic exploration of identity through vibrant prints, paintings and sketches inspired by Hollywood film, sci-fi and 2000s era pop-punk and will immerse visitors into the British-Sri Lankan illustrator and designer's world. MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like… is supported using public funding by The National Lottery through Arts Council England, with major support by the Bagri Foundation, and sponsored by Procreate.

New public gardens and outdoor artworks will be unveiled at a Family Festival Day on Saturday, the 27th of June. 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 in King's Cross. Tickets include entry to all exhibitions on the day of your visit: £16.50 for adults/£6.60 for children, including a donation. It will be free for members, and annual memberships are from £45.

Its new home is in the New River Head buildings off Amwell Street, which brings new meaning to the word "new" as they date back 400 years. Originally a water facility, part of an artificial river or "new river", why it is so-named, it opened in 1613 to supply water to London. Later inhabitants included the Metropolitan Water Board, the Thames Water Authority and Thames Water plc, but became derelict. The redevelopment was led by Tim Ronalds Architects and 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 investments include the London Borough of Islington and support from trusts, foundations and philanthropists.

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "We're incredibly proud to support the creation of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. This inspiring new cultural landmark will open up this remarkable heritage site and celebrate the power that illustration has to spark imagination, share stories and bring people together. Thanks to National Lottery players, audiences of all ages will be able to explore world-class exhibitions, learn about the history of illustration and enjoy a vibrant, inclusive space in the heart of Clerkenwell."

Quentin Blake is a renowned artist, author, and illustrator in the UK, well known to six decades of schoolchildren. He had his first illustration published in Punch magazine in 1949 when he was still at school. Since then, he has written and/or illustrated more than 500 books, creating characters such as Mister Magnolia and Mrs Armitage, and collaborating with writers including Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen, John Yeoman and Roald Dahl. He has been a teacher of illustrators and was head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art from 1978 to 1986. Quentin has created murals and original artworks for hospitals, galleries and community spaces. Quentin's recent work includes a series of illustrations about family relationships for display in prison visiting halls across the UK, and he has partnered with The Royal Parks charity to create illustrations for display in London green spaces. Quentin Blake was awarded the CBE in 2005, received a knighthood for 'services to illustration' in the New Year's Honours for 2013 and was appointed 'Companion of Honour' in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2022. In 2004, he was awarded the 'Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres' by the French Government for services to literature, and in 2007, he was made Officier in the same order. In 2014, he was admitted to the Legion d'Honneur, an honour accorded to few non-French nationals. He continues to draw every day.

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has also commissioned new bird-related cartoons for the announcement and for the branding of the centre, inspired by founder Quentin Blake, who has drawn hundreds of cockatoos, parakeets and other birds over his nearly 80-year career. Quentin Blake says, "I have liked birds – to look at and to draw – ever since I was a child; and more recently I have found that if you need an extra note of colour, a small parrot or cockatoo is very useful."

I'll definitely be going to the press preview if I am allowed through the doors. If not, I expect I will be a paying patron for decades to come, and will make for a perfect partner – and rival – to the Cartoon Gallery just off Oxford Street, which I also adore. For any visitors to London, both should be on your bucket list, and you can get the rather speedy Elizabeth Line (which also runs from Heathrow) from Tottenham Court Road to Farringdon, the nearest tube stops to both institutions, rather easily. And for Londoners, make sure you enjoy these centres of excellence on your doorstep. I look forward to including the Quentin Blake Centre For Illustration events every month in Things To Do In London If You Like Comics.

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