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Touring completed June 2023.

For this exhibition, Quentin Blake has selected works that reveal how he illustrated Roald Dahl’s 1982 book about an orphan called Sophie and her giant friend. From initial illustrations that didn’t make it to publication to drawings to mark Roald Dahl’s centenary, the exhibition gives a unique insight into the creation of one of British children’s literature’s most iconic characters.

Drawing of a child crawling out from behind a fabric drape
Drawing of a giant wearing a cape and carrying a child in his ear

Quentin Blake says: “Roald Dahl and I were brought together by our publisher in the 1970s. Roald was an extraordinarily interesting person and a man of action, which is why he was so good at telling stories. He liked to tell stories about things happening, rather than about what people were thinking or feeling, which was wonderful for me to draw.

This exhibition features reproduction illustrations courtesy of Quentin Blake.

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Drawing of a hand reaching forwards
Drawing of a giant looking into a second storey window