UPDATED: Comics exhibitions - an incomplete guide

UPDATED (17/06/26): thanks to friend of the blog Jeremy Briggs for a list he passed me ages ago about exhibitions at Dundee university.

Inspired by my recent post about a (Don Lawrence) comics exhibition I thought I'd start looking into all the comics exhibitions that I've covered on the blog. I'll also try and add in exhibitions I haven't covered - in the hope that some images will eventually surface. At this stage I know this list has a LOT of gaps in it but you've got to start somewhere...

OK so in date order then...

1 April 2022 - 28 August 2022; Superheroes, Orphans & Origins: 125 years in comics (at the Foundling museum here)

21 October 2021 - 6 March 2022 Beano - the art of breaking the rules @ Somerset House here

18 May 2021 - 14 November 2021; V for Vendetta - behind the mask (at the Cartoon museum here)

November 2019; Philip Bond @ Orbital comics here

24 May 2019 - 15 September 2019; Posy Simmonds - a retrospective here

1 July - 17 July 2019; Geoff Senior @ Orbital comics here here here here here & here

March 2019; Psychogran exhibition here

15 September 2018 - 16 March 2019; Frank Hampson - the man who drew Dan Dare here

2018 - 12 March 2019; Frank Hampson centenary exhibition (at Bourne Hall here here and here)

October 2018; Arthur Ranson @ Orbital comics here here here here

1 June 2018 - 30 June 2018; Treasury of British comics @ Orbital comics here here and here

15 May 2018 - 12 August 2018; Beano at the V&A London here

2017; Inking women at the Cartoon Museum here 

Girls in Print: Female Figures in British Comics
Tower Foyer Gallery, University of Dundee
22 July - 21 October 2017
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/girls
https://downthetubes.net/girls-in-print-female-figures-in-british-comics-opens-in-dundee/

Jim Petrie: Minnie the Minx and More!
Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
3 June – 19 September 2015
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/petrie/
https://downthetubes.net/minnie-the-minx-artist-jim-petrie-exhibition-in-dundee/

Adventures in Space & Time
An exhibition of Science-Fiction Comics Art
Tower Foyer Gallery, University of Dundee
23 November 2013 - 1 February 2014
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/adventures/
https://downthetubes.net/photo-report-dundee-comics-day-2013/ (tied in on the theme but not the date)

75 Years of the Dandy
Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
1 December 2012 - 12 January 2013
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/dandy/
https://downthetubes.net/photo-review-dandy-day-at-dundee-university/

David Sutherland: Comics Genius
Baxter Suite, Tower Building, University of Dundee
11 June - 15 August 2012
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/sutherland/
https://downthetubes.net/in-review-david-sutherland-comics-genius-exhibition-and-talk/

Commando: 50 Years of Action and Adventure
Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
1 October - 19 November 2011
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/commando/
https://downthetubes.net/dundee-commando-exhibition-open/

Willie Ritchie: Comic Artist
Tower Foyer Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
27 June - 21 August 2010
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/ritchie/
https://downthetubes.net/photo-review-dundee-comics-day-2010/

Starblazer The Official 30th Anniversary Exhibition
Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
29 July - 22 August 2009
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/starblazer/
https://downthetubes.net/photo-review-starblazer-exhibition/

Happy Birthday Beano
The Official 70th Anniversary Exhibition
Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee
18 July - 20 September 2008
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/beano2/
https://downthetubes.net/beano-70th-anniversary-exhibition/

BIFF! BANG!! CRIKEY!!!
Lamb Gallery, University of Dundee
4 May - 2 June 2007
Part of the same titled conference (which was the first Dundee Comics Day)
https://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/comics/
https://downthetubes.net/biff-bam-crikey-seeing-new-worlds-in-dundee/

2000; Dan Dare at 50 - British cartoon centre here

27 May 1999 - 24 June 1999; Don Lawrence exhibition here

6 December 1988 - 14 January 1989; Cartoon Aid exhibition at the Museum of London here

June-September 1987; Comics Iconoclasm at the ICA here

December 1973; A personal view of children's funny papers; Scotland here

Other known exhibitions (to be covered at a later date)...

newspaper comic strips at the NPG

Aarrrghh at the ICA

Dan Dare Southport - 1990, 2000, 2010

Comics Unmasked at the British Library

Cartoon exhibiitons at the Cartoon Museum

The McMenace

Dan Dare in Croydon & elsewhere

other exhibitions covered by me for Down the Tubes

Look at other Down the Tubes entries

UPDATED: major museum publications

As ever with blog posts sometime you've just got to start somewhere. So today I want to start compiling a list of books / exhibitions about comics / cartoons / caricaturing that have been held by major museums and galleries.

Now updated with these two Tintin items. First up is 'The adventures of Tintin at sea' - the official book of the National Maritime Museum's [2004] exhibition.

There is also this (bi-lingual) guide to the exhibition.

There's also this British Library exhibition catalogue (from 2014). Cover art by Jamie Hewlett.

Now updated with this catalogue from the National Portrait Gallery's 1976 exhibition of cartoons from Vanity Fair.

I'll start the ball rolling with this publication by the V&A museum. It's a catalogue of a collection of prints in the possession of the Department of Prints and Drawings of the Victoria and Albert Museum

More suggestions welcome for other such publications!

SSI exhibition of 'British comic book art'

I've swiped these images from ebay seller acesales1966 (who always has interesting stuff for sale - well worth following) for posterity. 

This SSI exhibition was new to me, I've not see this poster before. Looks like some great art was on display!

All other mentions of the SSI on the blog can be found here

UPDATED: major museum publications

As ever with blog posts sometime you've just got to start somewhere. So today I want to start compiling a list of books / exhibitions about comics / cartoons / caricaturing that have been held by major museums and galleries.

Now updated with this catalogue from the National Portrait Gallery's 1976 exhibition of cartoons from Vanity Fair.

I'll start the ball rolling with this publication by the V&A museum. It's a catalogue of a collection of prints in the possession of the Department of Prints and Drawings of the Victoria and Albert Museum

More suggestions welcome for other such publications!

UPDATED: Comics Iconoclasm at the ICA - part 1

Just an update to this post to log the existence of the Escape magazine supplement to the ICA exhibition. All images taken from this ebay listing 

The word "iconoclasm" is defined as the action of attacking or assertively rejecting cherished beliefs and institutions or established values and practices. So in the case of the exhibition that ran at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London June-September 1987 we can expect to see some of our treasured comics idols 'rejected' by some of the famous artists of the day...

Brochure (front cover) - taken from the Roy Lichtenstein painting entitled 'Image Duplicator'

Brochure (back cover)

And here's 'Flash in Venice' by Jean-Michel Basquiat

'Nestor' by Julian Opie

'Supermarkets' by Sigmar Polke

and some more Roy Lichtenstein

Into Battle in York - part 6

It's not long finished but I just wanted to share these images from the 'Into Battle! The art of British was comics' exhibition that was recently on in York. 

Part 1 of my photos was here

Part 2 of my photos was here

Part 3 of my photos was here

Part 4 of my photos was here

Part 5 of my photos was here

These images show the material that was in a display cabinet in front of you as you entered the temporary exhibition space AND the listing of all the material featured in the exhibition. 

Into Battle in York - part 5

It's not long finished but I just wanted to share these images from the 'Into Battle! The art of British war comics' exhibition that was recently on in York. 

Part 1 of my photos was here

Part 2 of my photos was here

Part 3 of my photos was here

Part 4 of my photos was here

These images show the original art that was on display immediately in front of you as you entered the temporary exhibition space. 

Into Battle in York - part 4

It's not long finished but I just wanted to share these images from the 'Into Battle! The art of British war comics' exhibition that was recently on in York. 

Part 1 of my photos was here

Part 2 of my photos was here

Part 3 of my photos was here

These images show the material that was on display on the right hand side as you entered the temporary exhibition space

Into Battle in York - part 3

It's not long finished but I just wanted to share these images from the 'Into Battle! The art of British was comics' exhibition that was recently on in York. 

Part 1 of my photos was here

Part 2 of my photos was here

These images show the material that was on display directly ahead of you as you entered the temporary exhibition space.

Into Battle in York - part 2

It's not long finished but I just wanted to share these images from the 'Into Battle! The art of British was comics' exhibition that was recently on in York. 

These images show the entrance to the temporary exhibition space and the display cabinet on your left as you enter the room