The growing size of our dedicated British and Irish comic events page has meant we have had to split our Exhibitions guide onto a new page on downthetubes. Information on events and venues is always welcome.
This feature was last updated on Tuesday 7th January 2025. Some of the exhibitions listed are permanent: some are temporary
As ever, information about events is welcome: here’s how to contact us. If you don’t see your exhibition added to this list, please re-send the information as it’s entirely possible, given the huge amount of email received, that we’ve missed it first time around – sorry!
• For comic-related events across the UK and Ireland, visit and bookmark this regularly updated page
• More Exhibition News on downthetubes
London
Bookery Gallerie
20 Church Street, London NW8 8EP | Web: bookerygallerie.com
Once a month the Bookery Gallerie hosts alternating exhibitions of London artists in a large spacious environment which lies beyond the bookshop. These sometimes include comic artists.
The British Library
96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
Web: bl.uk/whats-on
Check back for comic or illustration-related exhibition information – or visit bl.uk/whats-on
The Cartoon Museum – London
63 Wells Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1A 3AE Tel: 0207 580 8155
Web: www.cartoonmuseum.org | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Steve Bell’s Windsor Tapestry
Saturday 16th November 2024 – Saturday 22nd March 2025
The Cartoon Museum, 63 Wells St, London, W1A 3AE | More information here
For the past forty years, legendary British political cartoonist Steve Bell has been caricaturing Charles and the Royal family. Steve Bell’s The Windsor Tapestry brings together 98 of these cartoons into a 28-metre long fabric tapestry telling a visual history of Charles III (in the same way the Bayeux Tapestry told the story of King Harold II and King William I, but with a lot less arrows through eyes) from 1980 to the present day, and will exhibited alongside original artworks from Steve’s career, and other artists’ depictions of King Charles, including Gerald Scarfe and Kathryn Lamb.
For more information visit cartoonmuseum.org | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
The Duke of Greenwich
Duke of Greenwich, 91 Colomb St, London SE10 9EZ | Web: dukeofgreenwich.com
“Let it Snow” runs until 31st January 2025 at the Duke of Greenwich (read our news story).
Heading to Greenwich, London, for some Christmas shopping? Don’t miss “Let it Snow” at the Duke of Greenwich pub, an exhibition of cartoons by a huge range of creators, curated by Daily Mirror cartoonist Pete Songi, who’s also a member of the Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation.
The Ealing Project
Ealing Broadway, London W5 5JY | Web: ealingproject.co.uk
The Ealing Project – a multi-functional community space on the ground floor of Ealing Broadway centre, which has hosted comic related exhibitions, including 3 Generations, an exhibition of art that includes the work of comic creator and editor David Leach, in July 2023 (Read our related news story).
Gunnersby Park Museum
Gunnersby Park Museum, Gunnersbury Park House, Popes Lane, London W5 4NH (near Acton Town tube station) | Free, No booking required | Closed Mondays, Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 4.30pm
Web: visitgunnersbury.org | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
The Heath Robinson Museum
Pinner Memorial Park, 50 West End Lane, Pinner HA5 1AE | Web: www.heathrobinsonmuseum.org
The permanent Heath Robinson exhibition combines original artwork with books, photographs, film and digital media to tell the full story of Heath Robinson’s artistic career.
Heath Robinson’s autobiography was called My Line of Life and the permanent exhibition draws on this theme to follow his career from art school in the 1890s to his last works made during the Second World War. It describes how, having established himself as a leading illustrator at the start of the 20th century, he was forced to turn to humorous drawing to maintain his income. He pursued both forms of art for several years, but humour eventually dominated. However, throughout his life he saw himself as a serious artist and painted landscapes and imagined scenes for his own enjoyment.
The Jam Bookshop
Unit 18 Portobello Green Arcade at 281 Portobello Road, London
Web: jambookshop.co.uk | Follow on BlueSky for temporary exhibition news | Patreon and Book Club
Ace bookshop run by comic creator David Ziggy Greene. Hosts comic creator events as well as temporary exhibitions
Young Victoria and Albert Museum
Young Victoria and Albert Museum, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA | Exhibition Page
Bowness-on-Windermere
• Lakes International Comic Art Festival Exhibition 2025
Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
The annual Lakes International Comic Art Festival wil feature tie-in exhibitions during its annual event, 26th – 28th September 2025, including, hopefully, a yet-to-be confirmed SFTV-related exhibition at Windermere Jetty Museum
Bovington
The Tank Museum brings the story of tanks and their crews to life. Exhibitions sometimes include comic-related items. The Museum owns a collection of “Charley’s War” pages from Battle.
Chester
Aliens, Zombies & Monsters – Exploring the Creativity Behind Children’s Characters and Books
8th – 9th November 2024 | More information here
Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR | Web: storyhouse.com
There are some strange visitors to Storyhouse this WayWord festival… But don’t worry, they’re friendly! “Aliens, Zombies & Monsters” is a show filled with vibrant life-sized colourful characters in an immersive exploration into how children’s books and characters are created… from the mind of children’s author and illustrator, Aaron Blecha.
Beam aboard an alien spaceship, take a photo amongst the monster mayhem, or read one of your favourite stories with a zombie family.
Ditchling, East Sussex
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling, East Sussex, BN6 8SP.
• Exhibition details
Previously ran Bloomin’ Brilliant: The Life and Work of Raymond Briggs in 2024, an exhibition featuring never-seen-before items and artworks from one of the UK´s most beloved author illustrators in the part of East Sussex that he made his home.
Bloomin’ Brilliant: The Life and Work of Raymond Briggs is a highly personal show that will bring together 30 items from the late author’s estate with over 100 original artworks from his 60-year career.
Dundee
Tower Building
University of Dundee, Nethergate Dundee DD1 4HN | Exhibitions Information
Previous exhibitions include Sydney Jordan retrospective – read our news story about the opening night and a preview of some of the art on display (If you’re a Jeff Hawke fan, check out the Jeff Hawke Fan Club here)
Bonus: Here’s a virtual tour of Ian Kennedy – Celebrating a Comics Legend, which ran in early 2023
Ian Kennedy (1932-2022) is a legend in British comics. Acclaimed and respected by fans and fellow artists, his career in comics spanned over 70 years. Ian left behind a huge legacy that will continue to inspire comics fans for generations to come. We are delighted to present this exhibition featuring a selection of original art from Ian’s studio and from the collections of DC Thomson.
• Read James Bacon’s review of this exhibition right here on downthetubes
• Watch: A guided tour by comics expert and Abertay University lecturer Phillip Vaughan showcasing highlights of the exhibition Ian Kennedy: Celebrating a Comics Legend in the Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee, given at a special event on 3rd March 2023 in the company of members of Ian’s family, former friends and colleagues and comics fans.
Herne Bay
The Seaside Musuem
12 William Street Herne Bay | Web: theseasidemuseumhernebay.org
Has hosted cartoon-related exhibitions as part of the annual Herne Bay Cartoon Festival.
Hull
Brew Cafe
76 Bond Street, Hull, HU1 3EN | Web: www.brewhull.co.uk
Liverpool
The Beatles in Comics
The Liverpool Beatles Museum is at 23 Mathew Street, Liverpool L2 6RE | Web: liverpoolbeatlesmuseum.com | Facebook | Twitter
The Beatles in Comics permanent exhibition features over 100 examples of the band from newspaper cartoons, strips and comic books from 1963 to the present day.
The exhibition is open to the general public and well worth the trek to the third floor of this most authentic and delightful of museums to all things Fab.
Milngavie
The Lillie Art Gallery – Station Road, Milngavie, G62 8BZ
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00 – 5.00pm. Admission is free | For more venue information, call 0141 956 5536 or visit edlc.co.uk/venues/lillie-art-gallery
• Follow the Council on Facebook | Instagram | X | Follow the Trust on X @EDLC_Culture or like the page at facebook.com/EDLCCulture
Previously ran ‘Comics Stripped’, an exhibition exploring how comics are created. Oor Wullie, Judge Dredd and Rupert the Bear were at the ‘art’ of this free exhibition which focused on comic strips and creators in Scotland | Read our related new story
Mount Fitchet, Essex
The House on the Hill Toy Museum
Castle Visitor Centre, Lower Street, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex CM24 8SP
Web: stanstedtoymuseum.com
Housed in the grounds of Mount Fitchet Castle, near Stansted Airport, the The House on the Hill Toy Museum has some phenomenal displays of toys spanning many eras and genres, with good examples of children’s comics and annuals. The 1960s Gerry Anderson inspired display had some collectable comics and books. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. (With thanks to Phil Shrimpton)
Northampton
The Panel Gallery
3 Abington Square, Northampton NN1 4AE | Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday 11.00am – 4.00pm) | Free | Web: thepanelgallery.com
The Panel Gallery is the first art gallery in the UK to specialise in original comic art. Showcasing comic art from Marvel, DC Comics, 2000AD and many more publishers.
Opening to the public in 2021, Jeff Chahal, the owner and curator of the gallery, has always felt that comic art doesn’t receive the respect that it should, which ultimately lead to the idea of starting Panel Gallery so that comic artwork might at last be showcased in a fitting environment.
Having worked in comic retail for 20 years, and with a background of running the hugely respected NICE Comic Con in Bedford, Jeff applies the same criteria to both his comic convention and the new Panel Gallery. For him, it is essential that the focus of both are on the art itself and also on all those that are involved in the creative process of producing comic books.
Rugby
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ | Telephone 01788 533201 | Web: ragm.co.uk/kapow
Hosted Kapow – The Art of Making Comics and Film in 2023 featuring a wide range of comic art, including work by Frank Bellamy, Ben Oliver, Frank Quitely and many others.
• Read James Bacon’s review of KAPOW
Shrewsbury
Comics Salopia: Shrewsbury Comics Trail
Free. The Shrewsbury Comics Trail is a brilliant idea combining nine life sized art pieces created by ten world famous comic artists and writers. Read our news story
• Sign up to the Facebook Group The Shrewsbury Comics Trail to stay up to date with the latest news, or follow the project on social media
Southport
The Atkinson
Lord Street, Southport PR8 1DB and online at theatkinson.co.uk | Facebook | Instagram | X
Free Entry | Monday – Saturday. 10am – 4pm | Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays.
Plan your visit here
Hosts a permanent “Dan Dare” exhibition in honour of creator Frank Hampson, who lived and worked with his team in Southport when the Eagle comic launched.
Previously hosted Bill Tidy: “Is there any news of the iceberg?” in 2024, a tribute to the late cartoonist, TV personality and author Bill Tidy MBE who lived for many happy years in Southport.
Woodstock
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
Park Street, Woodstock, OX20 1SN | Registered Charity No. 1145408 | Web: sofo.org.uk | Facebook | Instagram | X
Temporary and permanent exhibitions often with strong illustration themes.
The Art of The Great War
Runs from 25th June until 29th September 2024
Make Mine Manga
Make Mine Manga, a free, touring exhibition for anyone curious about manga, as well as the avid fan.
The exhibition explores the origins of manga in Japan, the creative techniques behind the art and the wonder of Manga-Anime. The exhibition features artwork from incredible creators from Japan and UK manga creators.
The exhibition has been specially created by Paul Gravett, comic publisher, fan and author of Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics, and has been led by Bolton Library Services, on behalf of a consortium of libraries in the North West. It’s been funded by Arts Council England under its Project Grants scheme and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival is one of the delivery partners.
Manga have become a pop-culture phenomenon in the UK and, if you’ve been into any branch of Waterstones, or your local comic shop, you probably already know more and more people are reading them; and six of the top ten bestselling graphic novelists in Britain are by Japanese manga authors.
In this exhibition, visitors will be able explore how these comics evolved first in Japan and how their brilliant creators continue to expand the medium, and discover today’s generation of award-winning British talents making manga their own way into a truly global language.
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is an annual comic art Festival and advocate for comic art. Established in 2013, the not-for-profit festival takes place annually over a weekend in the Autumn, originally in Kendal, and, since last year, in multiple venues in Bowness-on-Windermere.
• For the latest information on the Make Mine Manga Exhibition head to manchestercityofliterature.com/event/make-mine-manga-exhibition
LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL: ONLINE MAKE MINE MANGA RESOURCES
• How to draw manga with Inko
• How to draw manga with Chie
• Manga colouring
Beyond the UK
Centro Cultural e de Investigação do Funchal (CCIF): Encore – The Art of Liam Sharp Exhibition
Runs until 18th February 2025 Web: cultura.funchal.pt/ccif/
DC, Marvel artist, and independent comic creator luminary Liam Sharp is the focus of a major exhibition at the Centro Cultural e de Investigação do Funchal in Madeira, curated by Roberto Macedo Alves. Liam will be visiting the exhibition later this month, and will personally guide visitors through the exhibition, sharing insights into the displayed works and his creative process.
Encore – The Art of Liam Sharp Exhibition opened at the Centro Cultural e de Investigação do Funchal (CCIF) last month, and runs until 18th February 2025.
The exhibition, marking the first showcase of Liam Sharp’s art in Portugal, an celebrates Liam’s entire art and career to date.
Curated by Roberto Macedo Alves, from Sétima Dimensão, the only comic publisher in Madeira, this exhibition features 71 pieces, including original artwork from Liam Sharp’s upcoming projects, as well as unpublished and personal works and monumental reproductions of his career-defining art, with panels exceeding one meter in height. These works showcase Sharp’s creative process, from initial sketches to completed pieces, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore the intricacies of his craft.
The Centro Cultural e de Investigação do Funchal is housed in the historic former “Matadouro” building in Funchal, inaugurated in 1940, which has been restored and repurposed as a space for artistic creation, cultural promotion, and scientific and technological research. With a diverse program of performances, exhibitions, conferences, and social activities, the CCIF aims to blend the old with the new, fostering creativity, imagination, and active solidarity among the city’s various stakeholders, leaving no one behind.
• More Exhibition News on downthetubes
• For comic-related events across the UK and Ireland, visit and bookmark this regularly updated page
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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