PCO’s roving reporter Glenn Marshall writes:
There’s an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with the wonderful and wild work of Ralph Steadman at the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner. The fabulously titled ‘INKling’ exhibition continues until 10th May.
There’s also an extensive programme of related events during the run including:
8th March – ‘Steadman on Steadman’ where Sadie Williams talks about her father’s work and their family life.
5th April – A conversation with filmmaker and writer Ceri Levi on collaborating with Ralph on the Gonzovation conservation project.
26th April – Film screening of the ‘For No Good Reason’ Steadman documentary followed by a Q&A.
Check the museum website for the limited opening times.
© Ralph Steadman
The exhibition is divided into four sections across the four walls. Literary work (above), children’s illustrations, Gonzo and animal drawings.
© Ralph Steadman, Treasure Island, 1982.
© Ralph Steadman, The False Flamingoes, 1968.
Some feathered fun from the children’s illustration wall
© Ralph Steadman
The Gonzo wall featuring work from his life-long collaboration and friendship with Hunter S Thompson.
© Ralph Steadman, AAArggh! 1979.
Hunter S Thomson at the typewriter.
© Ralph Steadman, Private Eye, c.1961.
There’s also a small screen where you can flip through Ralph’s historical creations. I particularly loved these early black and white Private Eye drawings.
A recreation of Ralph’s suitably festooned workspace. The back wall is a work of art in itself!
© Ralph Steadman, Nixon illustration for the cover of Scanlan’s magazine, 1970.
There’s also a glass case including various artefacts and covers.
© Ralph Steadman, Giant Panda, 2015.
In the ‘Gonzovation’ section of endangered animals Ralph explains how he splashes dirty water onto paper and returns to it after a couple of days to draw something the resulting stain inspires: he either ‘succeeds or it’s buggered’. Ralph adds ‘there’s nothing more challenging than a white sheet of paper’.
Fellow gallery-goer, cartoonist and ‘The New Cartoonist’ supremo Pete Songi with the great man…well a life-size cardboard cut-out of the great man.
There are blank cards at the exhibition that you are invited to ‘unleash your inner artist’ on and then post the result online. This is mine…well it’s just at the ‘dirty water’ stage, I’ll be returning to it in two days time.
You can see more of Ralph’s work and indeed even get to own some on his website.
While visiting the show you must allow time to wander around the excellent Heath Robinson collection, many gems inside.
@ William Heath Robinson, 1915
I particularly liked this photo of a besuited Heath Robbins in his Highgate studio in 1929. All cartoonists should dress for work like this..