Brian Grimwood: The Man Who Changed the Look of British Illustration

About

WORK is pleased to present a comprehensive retrospective of the career to date of renowned British illustrator Brian Grimwood. Grimwood's free and fluid style first characterised the visual culture of the 1960s in iconic images such as those created for the influential magazine Nova. His designs have since become synonymous with British and Western popular culture and advertising, as evinced by his covers and brand identities for high-profile companies including Faber & Faber, BBC Proms, WH Smith and Johnny Walker. Grimwood was also one of the first illustrators to enthusiastically embrace the then new computer illustration programs, while at the same time employing traditional artistic methods and materials. His fascination with new technologies continues today, as demonstrated by his recent work using Photoshop and the iPad. As founding director of the Central Illustration Agency (CIA) Grimwood has also been pivotal in the promotion of the work of a host of illustrators from around the world, including Sir Peter Blake, Jeff Fisher and David Hughes from among the 80 or so illustrators on CIA's books. Brian Grimwood: The Man Who Changed the Look of British Illustration explores Grimwood's prolific and wide-ranging output through a diverse selection of drawings, paintings, cover artwork, newspaper illustrations and printed ephemera, alongside more recent work including digital prints that show how his style continues to evolve. Works on display demonstrate his commitment to a highly personal, concept-driven style and include commissions for Club International, The Times and Pentagram Design; illustrations for Radio Times and Nova; and commercial concepts developed for brands as diverse as Royal Mail and ASDA Sherry. The exhibition also brings together a range of rarely seen material that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of Grimwood's extraordinarily successful career, such as sketchbooks, private commissions and a series of paintings on antiquarian linen book covers. Brian Grimwood: The Man Who Changed the Look of British Illustration celebrates the publication of a major new monograph of the same name by Black Dog Publishing in September 2012, available for a special exhibition price from PAPERWORK Bookshop. Grimwood will be signing copies of the book on the evening of the private view. A limited edition print by Grimwood has also been produced to coincide with the exhibition and is available exclusively through the gallery.