Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules is now showing at Somerset House’s embankment galleries until March 2022.
The exhibition is the largest and most extensive celebration yet of Britain’s longest-running British comic, The Beano.
The comic, which started in Dundee in 1938, has published more than 4,000 weekly issues in its 83-year history.
This year, coinciding with the 70th birthday of iconic cover star Dennis the Menace, it has taken over London’s Somerset House.
Featuring over 100 original strips from publisher DC Thompson, Beano fans can explore the Beano’s history through the work of esteemed Beano artists such as Leo Baxendale and Ken Reid.
Displayed in conjunction with life-sized ‘Beanotown’ reconstructions, and 52 works of contemporary art, the exhibition explores the Beano’s theme of breaking the rules.
Watch below as SWL speaks to the exhibition’s curator Andy Holden, and contributing artist Nicola Lane, about the Beano’s enduring creative legacy on generations of artists.
Credits: Somerset House, Beano Studios, DC Thompson, Andy Holden, Nicola Lane, David Sutherland, Brett Murray
