'Quentin Blake at 90': fundraising auction at Bonhams

Friday 2nd December 2022


To celebrate Quentin's upcoming 90th birthday, Bonhams in London are holding a very special charity sale in December from which all proceeds raised will go to the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

The auction comprises 140 Lots, of which 116 are new works, created by Quentin specially for this event.  On a variety of playful or emotive themes - measuring a dragon, enjoying the outdoors, or sharing a book with a child - they all display his much-loved style and gentle humour.

Funds raised in this sale will help in the restoration of a fascinating but forgotten 18th- and 19th-century heritage site, New River Head in Clerkenwell, London, which will become the home for a permanent national centre for illustration. The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will offer a dynamic, distinctive programme of exhibitions, and will also house Quentin's 40,000-work archive. 

This online-only sale begins at 12.00 GMT on Friday 2 December, and ends at 12.00 on the day of Quentin's 90th Birthday – 16th December. What better way to help celebrate his birthday than by bidding on artworks to benefit a cause that is so close to his heart? A selection of highlights will be available to view at Bonhams' New Bond Street galleries while bidding is live, on 5-7, 9 and 12-14 December. 

Further details about all 140 Lots, and opening times for viewing sale highlights, are listed on Bonhams website.

The sale also includes a one-off opportunity to win a unique artwork by Quentin Blake. Lot 140, titled A Chance Encounter, can be won by entering the prize draw held by the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Enter (UK only) by visiting the Quentin Blake Centre website before the closing date of 19 December.