The Roald Dahl Centenary portraits


At: Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

7 March 2018 - 3 June 2018

More info: https://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/whats-happening/event/quentin-blake/

In 2016, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake produced new portraits of ten of Dahl’s most famous characters.  Visitors are asked to imagine that Blake invited the famous characters to ‘sit’ for a portrait, with each one depicted more formally than we might have seen them in the pages of Dahl's books. 

As he says, “The Roald Dahl Centenary Portraits ask you to imagine that a number of Dahl’s characters have been invited to come and sit for their portrait; they are depicted, not quite as they appear in the illustrations, but more formally. The perceptive spectator may notice that one celebrated couple declined to appear together, and another formidable personality obviously disapproved of the whole venture. Nevertheless, I hope visitors will be happy to see this group of well-known characters treated as though they were real people – which, of course, to many of us they are.”

The portraits were first displayed at the British Library in 2016, and will be touring the UK until the end of 2018.  They are on display at the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library from 7th March to 3 June 2018. This is a  British Library exhibition generously supported by Quentin Blake and Arts Council England.