The Best of All Possible Worlds: Quentin Blake and The Folio Society

Sat 17 June 2017 - Sun 8 October 2017

Downing College

Sir Quentin Blake (b. 1932) read English at Downing College between 1953 and 1956. His drawings first appeared in Punch when he was sixteen and he illustrated two editions of the student magazine Granta while at Cambridge University. In 1960, he illustrated A Drink of Water by John Yeoman, thereby starting a career in children’s book illustration for which he is best known, having illustrated beloved titles by Roald Dahl, Michael Rosen, Michael Morpurgo and others.



Despite his special affinity for children’s books – he was the inaugural Children’s Laureate from 1999-2001 – Sir Quentin has illustrated over 300 books for children and adults and created works of public art, most notably in healthcare settings in the UK and France. His association with The Folio Society began with the centenary edition of The Hunting of the Snark (1976) and the illustrations on display are from his four most recent collaborations; Candide (2011), Fifty Fables of La Fontaine (2013), The Golden Ass (2015) and Riddley Walker (2017). From the ribald and piquant to the serious and disturbing, these four titles showcase just a few of the genres and themes in Sir Quentin’s formidable oeuvre.



THE HEONG GALLERY

The Heong Gallery at Downing College opened in February 2016 as anew gallery for exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The Best of All Possible Worlds is the fifth exhibition and follows Generation Painting 1955–65: British Art from the Collection of Sir Alan Bowness(February–May 2016), Ai Weiwei: Cubes and Trees (June–October 2016), Portraits of Place: Works from Kettle’s Yard & Richard Long (November 2016-January 2017) and When the Heavens Meet the Earth: Selected Works from Robert Devereux’s Sina Jina Collection (February-May 2017).



The Gallery was designed by Caruso St John Architects (winners of RIBA Stirling Prize 2016) and so named in gratitude for the generous benefaction of Alwyn Heong.



Website www.heonggallery.com

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Access: The Heong Gallery is completely accessible by wheelchair and mobility scooter. Large-print label books are also available.

Cost: Free