Switzerland’s Cartoonmuseum Basel is to host a Posy Simmonds-focused exhibition next year, co-curated by author and comics expert Paul Gravett.
Cartoonist, comics artist and children’s book author Posy Simmonds should need little introduction to downthetubes readers. She’s attracted attention internationally with the three graphic novels Gemma Bovery (1999), Tamara Drewe (2007) and Cassandra Darke (2018), and with their headstrong titular female characters. She fascinates with precise psychological portraits, mocks the shortcomings of the middle class and cultural scene, caricatures staidness, and criticises social developments.
Relatively long text passages alternate with traditional comic sequences, while references to classics by writers such as Gustave Flaubert and Charles Dickens add further layers to the stories.
Posy Simmonds first became famous nation-widen the UK for her strip “The Silent Three of St. Botolph’s”, which started appearing in The Guardian in 1977 and was about three long-time female friends. She later published it in books and developed it further to create her first graphic novel, True Love.
Other publications of hers also started as strips in The Guardian.
In the 1980s, she published several highly successful children’s books.
An elegant, clear and corporeal drawing style, profoundly developed characters, unerring humour and the alert mind of a great storyteller characterise all of Posy Simmonds’s works. Her graphic novels have been translated into several languages and some of her books have been made into films.
Cartoonmuseum Basel will present Switzerland’s first retrospective on this major British artist, with original drawings from all graphic novels and from her children’s books, as well as illustrations and cartoons for newspapers and magazines, plus unpublished preliminary work.
The Cartoonmuseum Basel is the only museum and centre of excellence in Switzerland devoted exclusively to the art of narrative drawing. Its mission is to collect individual works, curate exhibitions and share knowledge about the genre.
The museum contributes to the debate about the art of narrative drawing and about the social and political issues it addresses.
The museum grew out of its substantial collection of over 10’000 original drawings by renowned national and international artists. Today, the museum’s focus lies on carefully curated exhibitions displaying the works of a single artist or illustrating a specific theme.
Every exhibition is curated professionally and geared towards an international audience.
• Posy Simmonds 3rd July 2021 – 31st October 2021 Cartoonmuseum Basel St. Alban–Vorstadt 28 CH– 4052 Basel | English Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
• Books by Posy Simmonds (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Thanks to Paul Gravett for the head up on this exhibition
- 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: downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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Woohoo! I may actually be able to go see this…