Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Opens in London as World's Largest Illustration Space

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, founded by illustrator Quentin Blake, opened on June 5, 2026, in London's Clerkenwell neighborhood. It is the UK's first and only charity for illustration and now the world's largest dedicated illustration space. The centre features exhibitions, creative projects, and collaborations with collections, universities, schools, and community groups. Two opening exhibitions are on view: "MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like…" (through August 31, 2026), the illustrator MURUGIAH's first solo show, drawing on his Sri Lankan heritage and Welsh upbringing with colorful, kaleidoscopic, and macabre motifs; and "Queer as Comics," a group show curated by Paul Gravett that surveys LGBTQIA+ perspectives in comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels, and zines since the 1940s, including works by Tove Jansson, Alison Bechdel, and Lee Lai. The centre aims to harness illustration's power to transform communication and connection across disciplines and cultures.