An exhibition called One Hundred and One Cartoonists is at the Cartoon Museum in London from Thursday 3 November.

It features cartoons, comics and caricatures from the collection of Luke Gertler, who has been collecting original cartoon artwork for more than 50 years.

On display will be works by H.M. Bateman, Max Beerbohm, Giles, David Low, Donald McGill, Thomas Rowlandson, Ronald Searle, John Tenniel and Dudley D. Watkins, among many others.

Asked what drew him to the cartoons he chose for his collection of more than 800 images, Luke Gertler told the Cartoon Museum newsletter:

“With cartoons, it’s the picture I would buy, rather than the joke. I liked ones with people, with characters, and the style was very important to me. I preferred rather bold colour styles, firm outlines like in John Hassall, for instance. I liked also the cartoonists who drew in wonderful detail, like Thelwell and Heath Robinson.”

One Hundred and One Cartoonists runs until January 29. For more details, visit the Cartoon Museum website.

Almost as long as Doctor Who has been on — and off — our TV screens he has also been seen in his comics incarnation.

The world’s longest running sci-fi series began in late 1963 and the Doctor first appeared in cartoon form in TV Comic in the following year.

A new exhibition, Doctor Who in Comics: 1964-2011 brings together artwork featuring all eleven Doctors from publications including TV Comic, TV Century 21 and Doctor Who Magazine. Comic-strips were famously one of the mediums that kept the Doctor alive for the fans when the TV show was off the air for 16 years — yes, excepting Paul McGann’s one-off TV film, don’t write in! — between 1989 and 2005.

The show, which materialises at the Cartoon Museum in London on Wednesday, features work by many writers and artists including Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Dicky Howett, Roger Langridge, David Lloyd, Pat Mills, Alan Moore and John Wagner. It looks set to be a family hit for all generations over the summer. Catch it before it dematerialises on October 30.

Artwork above by Paul Grist and James Offredi

Oxygen was in short supply at the Cartoon Museum last night, such were the numbers that turned up for the opening of the latest exhibition, Bell Époque, but it didn’t stop people laughing.

It’s hardly surprising that you would hear snorts of laughter, as this is a show celebrating more than 30 years of the cartoons of Steve Bell.

The Big Man stepped up on to the seating area plinth-type thing – specially reinforced, the chairman of the Cartoon Museum, Oliver Preston, joked – to make a speech.

He graciously attributed his success to a range of cartoonists – from Ronald Searle to Leo Baxendale, Wally “Trog” Fawkes to Kipper Williams – not forgetting to mention his wife, and the ideas he gets when the couple shout angrily at the radio together, berating those political upstarts who dare to lead us.

Gracious: Steve Bell makes his speech Photo by Simon Ellinas

Bell is one of the leading political cartoonists of our age, but it was interesting to see through this exhibition that it took him a while to arrive at his famous depictions of leading villains such as Major and Blair. One pre-Guardian image of Thatcher, from Time Out, is almost complimentary.

Also on show are notebooks, early strips from kids’ comics, a new cartoon featuring Monsieur L’Artiste as a brothel voyeur watching Thatcher et al prostitute themselves, and a plank carved into the image of John Major. Major Plank, of course.

What else can we say about this exhibition, other than, Go see! It’s the blockbuster cartoon exhibition of the year and runs until July 24. More details at the Cartoon Museum website.

In the meantime here is an article about the show by Steve Bell, with accompanying video piece:

”You must discover the character behind the face”

Plus a Bell Époque picture gallery

Two prominent political cartoonists have exhibitions opening in London in the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday 25 May, Bell Époque, featuring the cartoons of Steve Bell opens at the Cartoon Museum. The exhibition, which celebrates 30 years of Guardian cartoonist Steve’s work runs until 24 July.

Not to be outdone, on Monday 30 May Rogues’ Gallery, opens at Westminster Reference Library. Featuring the classical art parodies of the Independent‘s Dave Brown the exhibition runs until 18 June. Dave will also be giving an illustrated talk, titled ‘Mimicking the Masters’ on Tuesday 7 June, 7pm. To book a free place, email rblack1@westminster.gov.uk or phone 020 7641 5250.

Bell Époque, Cartoon Gallery, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH, 25 May to 24 July. For opening times and admission prices, go to cartoonmuseum.org.

Rogues Gallery, Westminster Reference Library, 35 St Martin’s Street, London WC2H 7HP, 30 May to 18 June.  Free entry. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 10am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm.

A cartoon exhibition looking at all aspects of married life – for better, for worse – opens at the Cartoon Museum in London this Wednesday (March 23). Cartoon above by Pak

As Prince William and Kate Middleton prepare to tie the knot on April 29, Marriage à la Mode: Royals and Commoners In and Out of Love promises “a bouquet of barbed wit” on the subject of marriage.

It will feature musings on matrimony from cartoonists past and present, including William Hogarth, who created a series of works that give the show its name, James Gillray, H.M. Bateman, Donald McGill, Carl Giles, Mel Calman, Ralph Steadman and Posy Simmonds.

The Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation, which runs the Bloghorn, is represented with cartoons by Steve Bell, Rupert Besley, Noel Ford, Martin Honeysett, Ken Pyne, below, Royston Robertson, and Bill Stott.

Despite being its inspiration, the royal couple are unlikely to give the show their seal of approval. As well as looking at some of the less successful aspects of marriage, some cartoons remind us of a certain royal wedding from 30 years ago that did not go too well, as seen in this 1995 Time magazine cartoon by Arnold Roth, right.

William and Kate may also not want to be associated with the work of Reg Smythe, who features in the exhibition and is famous for creating the less-than-idyllic marriage of Andy Capp and Flo.

Other cartoonists featured include Ros Asquith, Ian Baker, Biff, Nicholas Garland, Grizelda, Peter “Pak” King, David Langdon, Peter Schrank, Geoff Thompson, and Robert Thompson.

For more details visit the museum website. Marriage à la Mode runs until May 22, by which time those commemorative royal wedding tea towels may well be frayed at the edges.

Valentine’s Day seems like an appropriate time to mention an exhibition of drawings created by a cartoonist out of love for his wife.

Les Très Riches Heures de Mrs Mole, which features cartoons by Ronald Searle drawn for his wife Monica during her chemotherapy, opens at the the Cartoon Museum in London this Thursday (February 17).

In 1969 Monica was diagnosed with breast cancer and given only a few months to live, but she was offered a course of experimental chemotherapy. Searle sought some way of supporting his wife during this time. “I have only my talent for drawing,” he said. “So I drew”.

He produced a series of 47 drawings, one for each treatment. As Monica lay on her sick bed in Paris the drawings transported her to the world of her alter-ego, Mrs Mole, who busily potters about a dream home in a Provençal village. “I would lie in bed, living the life he created in the pictures,” Monica said.

The complete 47 drawings, which were never originally intended for publication, will be on display. They follow Monica’s journey from 1969 to 1975, chronicling a story of survival against the odds.

The museum will be working with Breast Cancer Campaign, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Macmillan Cancer Support and Wellbeing of Women. Information on cancer, the work of the charities and how people can support them will be available in the gallery.

The exhibition, which was previously seen at the Foundling Museum, as reported on Bloghorn last month, runs until March 20

It is January and the winter blues need chasing away, so cheer yourself with our winter quiz.

Mark Bryant WW2 in cartoons

If you can answer the three questions to come today and over the next two Mondays, you’ll go into a prize draw for a copy of Mark Bryant’s excellent book – World War 2 in cartoons.

Simple as that.

Contestants enter the draw by answering the questions by email to the editor after the last question is posted on 24th Jan. The draw will be conducted in an old paint pot at one of Bloghorn’s many residences and the editor’s decision is final. A winner by the end of the Month.

And here’s question one…

In the Second World War poster campaign created by the Punch cartoonist Kenneth Bird, aka Fougasse, what was said to cost lives?

Question two next Monday.

Bloghorn offers congratulations to Alex Driver and Morgan Twiston-Davies winners of this year’s prizes for the art of cartooning. You can see examples of their winning work below.

The annual awards are given by the Cartoon Art Trust and the UK’s national Cartoon Museum.

Alex Driver, Young Cartoonist of the Year (under 30)

Morgan Twiston-Davies, Young Cartoonist of the Year (under 18)

An exhibition that is sure to bring some warmth and cheer to the winter opens at the Cartoon Museum in London on Wednesday 24 November.

Ink and the Bottle is billed as “a merry exhibition on the pleasures and perils of the ‘demon drink’ starting with a swig of gin from Hogarth and Cruikshank”. We move on to Gillray, Donald McGill, Heath Robinson and Giles before downing “a heady cocktail of contemporary cartoons”.

That includes a generous measure of PCO members, including Steve Bell, Andrew Birch, right, Clive Collins, Neil Dishington, Denis Dowland, Pete Dredge, Roger Penwill, Ken Pyne, Royston Robertson, Bill Stott and Mike Turner.

As if that’s not enough binge cartooning, there’s work by Sally Artz, Ian Baker, Hector Breeze, Dave Brown,
Chris Duggan, top, Grizelda, Andrzej Krauze, Matt, Tim Sanders, Ronald Searle, Gerald Scarfe, Silvey & Jex, Ralph Steadman, and Judy Walker.

If you fancy three more for the road, there are also contributions from the Viz cartoonists Graham Dury, Davey Jones and Simon Thorp, who are no strangers to creating characters that “like a tipple”.

Ink and the Bottle – Drunken Cartoonists and Drink in Cartoons runs until February 13. See the Cartoon Museum website for more details.

Cheersh!

Bloghorn was greatly amused by the recent launch of a campaign to save the arts from the forthcoming cuts in UK public spending.

But we find it deeply ironic that Arts Council England – which has organised the Save the Arts campaign via its Turning Point Network – is choosing to launch it with a piece of cartoon animation.

If the Arts Council hadn’t spent years refusing to help the activities of organisations representing the business of cartooning, we might even take the campaign seriously.

But it has consistently refused to help fund the national Cartoon Museum and many other events and activities run by professional organisations representing our trade and its artform.

If the Arts Council finds that it is now looking at doing its work with minimal funds we can only say this: Welcome to our world.

Bloghorn’s sponsor, The Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation and our sister group, The British Cartoonists’ Association, represent the best living practitioners of the vulgar commerce of drawing.

We both, more than most, appreciate the irony of the elite national arts organisation stooping to the healthy filth of the cartoon when it needs a spot of urgent, eye-catching communication.

We just wish its present interest in cartoons wasn’t so blatantly short-term and desperate.

We might even have been able to help with the campaign – if only the Arts Council had deigned to help us.

It wouldn’t be before time.

Bloghorn says if you have views on this issue please add them in our comments section below. We do moderate comments.