The London Sketch Club 1898 –2023, A Visual Celebration…
Opening its doors on April Fools’ Day 1898, the London Sketch Club has been home to some of the finest cartoonists, illustrators and commercial artists of the day and still proudly retains the traditions and vitality that has existed for the last 125 years. In this new book, The London Sketch Club – A Visual Celebration, the work of its colourful and talented members is lavishly exhibited through the decades up to 2023.
A long overdue homage to the London Sketch Club, this beautifully illustrated book delivers an outstanding overview of this notable Club and those colourful characters – professional artists and illustrators – whose artistic legacy is etched into the day-to-day running of the club today.
Many of this country’s finest cartoonists, illustrators and artists have been fellow sketchers, from John Hassall, Edmund Dulac and W. Heath Robinson in the early years to Terence Cuneo, Peter Blake and Michael Foreman in later years. This chronological review immerses readers in highlights from each decade. It also publishes, for the first time, a private collection from 1915 of 24 full-page illustrations by leading members including W. Heath Robinson, John Hassall, Charles Robinson and George E. Studdy.
This is a review that will be valued by those with an interest in the development of the cartoon, illustration and commercial art. This visual celebration delights on so many levels; not least, it illustrates the particular joie de vivre, passion and foibles of its members as modernity finally took its place at the London Sketch Club.
“The book is a celebration of 125 years of the London Sketch Club which has been home to some of this country’s finest cartoonists, illustrators and artists including, in the early years, John Hassall, Edmund Dulac and W. Heath Robinson. After a short introduction and chronology, each decade up to the present is illustrated in images drawn from the Club’s extensive archive of original artwork, posters and photographs. They not only show the extraordinary skill and humour of the members’ work but also their unconventional and eccentric sense of fun at their parties and dances.” – The London Sketch Club
Independently published, The London Sketch Club – A Visual Celebration, 1898–2023. (ISBN No: 978-1-3999-7097-6) features 387 illustrations in its 176 pages. It is available to purchase in hard cover, priced £40.00, directly from the London Sketch Club. https://londonsketchclub.com/anniversary-book
