Bank Street Gallery
Sometimes a cheeky approach pays dividends. Tony Rushton, Art Director at the Eye contacted Susie Clark on Ian Hislop’s direction. Tony suggested a direct approach to the cartoonists who help ensure Private Eye’s essential place in our society. This fiftieth birthday celebration – a year late –is the result of that impertinence!
Original cartoons from a number of contributors to the Eye over the last five decades have been collected in celebration. Contributors include Ed McLachlan, Pete Dredge, Kathryn Lamb and Michael Heath, along with a host of others.
The exhibition has been curated by James Wylie, under the direction of the Gallery. James is currently undertaking a portfolio year at Dundee College and hopes to attend Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art next year. The exhibition presented a particular challenge.
“Almost all of the contributing cartoonists have provided original work in a very raw form – neither mounted nor framed. The challenge was to display the work in such a way as to promote both their humour and their artistic quality – but at little or no expense! I picked up the involvement of Ian Hislop and have adopted the backdrop from “Have I Got News For You”. I think this helps emphasise the topical element so essential to successful, satirical cartoons. Even the older ones that are in the show are funny because you remember the news events of the time. We may not have the budget of the V & A but now that I see the work hanging, the exhibition has a great, crunchy feel. You sense being close to the work – and let’s face it we’ve saved Eye fans in Angus an absolute fortune on travel costs!”
The exhibition runs from 16th November 2012 to 30th December 2012.