The Joy of Quentin Blake at The Science Museum
Science stars reimagined by the starry illustrator
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The much loved illustrator Quentin Blake has been commissioned by the Science Museum in London to create brand new art work for the walls outside its family friendly Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery.
Renowned for his humorous drawings and, in particular, his phenomenal contributions to the great works of children’s literature including books by Roald Dahl and David Walliams, a series of five large panels at The Science Museum conjure the iconic delight of his work.
The Joy of Quentin Blake at The Science Museum
Alexander Flemming
Each panel features his brand new illustrations of objects and scientists from the Science Museum Group’s extensive and historical collection.
A total of 20 women and men from the world of science and technology feature in this new work of art – four on each panel – alongside illustrations of the objects for which they are best known. The ‘enchantress of numbers’ Ada Lovelace adorns one panel alongside the analytical engine on which she wrote a detailed and penetrating explanation of its significance. Next to her is polymath Jagadis Chandra Bose (1858-1937), the first scientist to use a semiconductor junction to detect radio waves. Sir Richard Arkwright (1732-1792) features on another panel and is illustrated together with his groundbreaking spinning machine next to pilot Amy Johnson (1903- 1942) who flew the first solo flight from Britain to Australia in the aircraft.
Ada Lovelace
Award winning illustrator Quentin Blake was born in London in 1932 and has drawn ever since he can remember. His first illustrations were published in Punch when he was just 16 years of age and still at school. He first entered the world of children’s books – for which he is best known in 1960, with A Drink of Water by John Yeoman. It is for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl that he is perhaps most famous – and on whose beloved character Matilda, the artist has just this month released a series of drawings to re-imagine her as an adult, 30 years after the book was first published.
