Quentin's 'Imaginary Friends' auctioned for Comic Relief
Friday 15th May 2020
Christie’s Beyond Worlds: Fine Books & Manuscripts online auction includes a collection of 12 new drawings by Quentin Blake, created for and sold to benefit Comic Relief. The series, titled Imaginary Friends, has been created exclusively by Quentin to raise funds for Comic Relief and illustrate the imaginary companions people in isolation may dream of.
Money raised from the sale of the drawings will go to charities in the UK and around the world that urgently need support to respond to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Comic Relief raises money to support hundreds of amazing organisations who are working to support the most vulnerable people and communities in society including many of those hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. This includes vulnerable children and young people, people who are homeless or living in extreme poverty, women and families at risk of domestic abuse and those struggling with existing or new mental health problems. For more info on Comic Relief's work, visit www.comicrelief.com
Quentin said, 'When I was asked to make some drawings for Comic Relief I naturally thought of all those people isolated by lockdown, and I realised that I voluntarily spend quite lot of time on my own, with pen in hand, drawing imaginary friends (well, not always friends, actually). What I have produced is a dozen imaginary friends whom I thought might be interesting. I think my own choice would be the girl with the cocktail but I hope there may be imaginary friends here for all kinds of people on their own.'
The sale also includes a further selection of illustrations by Quentin Blake to benefit Greenpeace and Survival International. Quentin is a keen supporter of both charities, and held a successful auction at Christie's in December 2019 to raise funds for their work.
Bidding is open from 14 May until 4 June on https://onlineonly.christies.com/