Quentin Blake and John Yeoman at Lady Lever Gallery

The charming work of illustrator Quentin Blake and author John Yeoman is being celebrated in a new exhibition at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Blake, now 85, has his work exhibited regularly across the country.

But Quentin Blake and John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children’s Books, which features more than 40 works including illustrations and books, is the first exhibition to celebrate the illustrator decades-long partnership with the Cambridge-educated writer and former teacher.

It was Yeoman, 84, who first persuaded Blake to try his hand at children’s illustration in 1960.

The result – A Drink of Water – was not just Yeoman’s first book, but also sparked an artistic relationship that has lasted for more than half a century, delivering almost 50 projects in that time.

Their most recent book, All The Year Round, was published by Andersen Press in 2017.

The original drawings for these and a further 10 projects Blake and Yeoman have worked on together – from picture books and short novels for children to adaptations of classic folk tales - feature in the exhibition.

Above: The Fabulous Foskett Family Circus. Top: All The Year Round. (C) Quentin Blake

Dave Moffatt, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts at the Lady Lever, said: “Quentin Blake and John Yeoman’s work is familiar to many – theirs is a unique and special partnership, beautifully celebrated through the images and publications that make up 50 Years of Children’s Books.

“Adult visitors will have grown up with Yeoman’s amazing and fantastical tales, illustrated by Quentin Blake in his immediately recognisable style. The worlds they created continue to fire imaginations.”

The exhibition was created by House of Illustration, the UK’s only public gallery dedicated to illustration and graphic art.

Quentin Blake ad John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children’s Books runs until March 3, 2019.