Introducing William Heath Robinson
Curator’s Collection Talk
Tuesday 5 April 2016 3 - 3.30pm
Meet in the Library Print Room, Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts
Free with an exhibition ticket, no booking required.
William Heath Robinson’s Life of Line
Guest curator Amanda Doran introduces the work of William Heath Robinson, exploring some of his most evocative book illustrations in this small exhibition of his work in The Royal Academy’s Library Print Room.
Famous for his drawings of fantastical machines and contraptions, William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) was immortalised as the ‘gadget man’, an illustrator of enormous range and charm. Absurdity and nonsense are never far away. Invented, impish characters appear alongside beautifully balanced designs. Heath Robinson was haunted by whimsical characters who lead him into all sorts of adventures, one of which, Uncle Lubin (1902), first brought his individual humour to the public's notice. A selection of his early graphic works for children's classic literature including The Water Babies (1915) and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1913), are displayed in this exhibition, alongside familiar book illustrations and cartoons from his later career. Printed ephemera and First Editions from the Royal Academy Collection complement the drawings on loan from the Heath Robinson Museum, soon to open in Harrow, North London.