Lot 195 of the Christies Quentin Blake: 200 Drawings sale in December 2020. The collection of works was offered directly from the artist’s studio, and sold to benefit House of Illustration, the UK’s only gallery and education space dedicated to illustration and graphics. The drawings showcased the variety of work undertaken over the years alongside his famous book illustrations. 

Quentin Blake said of 200 Drawings: ‘There are very few days of the year on which I don’t produce drawings; in addition to originals for publication, there are alternative versions, sequences of drawings exploring themes that appeal to me, experiments with unfamiliar implements and sometimes a drawing simply because I feel the need to.’

Sir Quentin Blake is a British cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer, best known for the illustrations he made for Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and Matilda (1988). His scratchy drawing style expresses the wonderment of childhood while not veering into sentimentality. 'As an illustrator you need to understand the human body – but having looked at and understood nature, you must develop an ability to look away and capture the balance between what you've seen and what you imagine,' he has explained. 

Born on December 16, 1932 in London, he began drawing from a young age and had his first cartoon published at the age of 16. He went on to study English literature at Cambridge University and painting and drawing at the Chelsea School of Art. During the 1960s, Blake lived and taught English in France and began his career illustrating children’s books. Over the following decades, the artist has written more than 35 books and illustrated over 300, including 18 by Road Dahl. He currently lives and works in London.