UK’s first illustration centre opens, led by Quentin Blake’s 40,000-drawing archive

The UK’s first permanent home for illustration, and the largest such centre globally, is set to open. Founded by 93-year-old Sir Quentin Blake, the institution houses his archive of 40,000 drawings. The centre aims to elevate illustration—often overlooked between fine art and publishing—as a distinct craft. Blake, known for illustrating Roald Dahl’s BFG, joins a lineage including John Tenniel’s Alice in Wonderland engravings and Axel Scheffler’s Gruffalo. The editorial argues that visual literacy and the joy of images deserve recognition, framing the centre as a corrective to illustration’s secondary status to text.