Raymond Briggs: A Retrospective

Wed 3 May - Sat 26 August

Cambridge University Library

"[To be an illustrator] you have to be a mini actor. If the figure is to walk jauntily with its nose in the air, you have to imagine what that feels like. You have to be the person and observe the person, and do both these things at once." – Raymond Briggs

Touring from the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, this exhibition highlights a selection of the illustrator Raymond Briggs’ most significant works. It features rarely seen original illustrations from his studio which reveal his expert draughtsmanship, captivating storytelling and subversive humour.

This exhibition includes work from Briggs’s pioneering titles, including The Snowman, Father Christmas (1973), Fungus the Bogeyman (1977) and autobiographical graphic novel Ethel and Ernest (1998). On show are his drawings, hand-lettered typography and page designs from his earliest commissions to his 2004 book The Puddleman.

Co-curated by Nicolette Jones and Katie McCurrach.

This exhibition features original illustrations courtesy of Raymond Briggs’s Archive and Penguin Random House.

Generously supported by The Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation, and the Friends of Cambridge University Library.

Cost: Free