The expression “national treasure” could have been invented for Sir Quentin Blake who celebrates his 90th birthday on December 16 – and we might also celebrate his considerable impact on the status and understanding of the art of illustration.
This is not just based on his prolific creative output, spanning a staggering eight decades (so far), but also through his tireless work in promoting and preserving our rich graphic arts heritage in the UK.
This heritage has not always been as fully recognised within the UK as it might have been. One of Blake’s heroes, Ronald Searle (creator of the St Trinian’s cartoons), moved to France in the 1960s, at the height of his fame. Although this was primarily due to personal circumstances, he had also become increasingly weary of the British tendency to box visual artists as either “commercial” or “fine”.
