Mr Men and Little Miss art show promises to leave you Mr Tickled

An art show with a difference has opened in Brighton with reimagined versions of a series of much-loved children’s characters.

Mr Men Little Miss Reimagined opened on Friday (7 June) at the Helm Gallery, in North Road, Brighton, for six weeks.

The organisers said that it would be “the destination for art lovers, culture mavericks, nostalgia fans and families this summer”.

And they described the show as “a group exhibition reimagining the iconic children’s book series through the lens of contemporary art”.

The exhibition features “a number of amazing pieces from artists and designers (and) celebrates the everlasting appeal of this much loved brand”.

Helm said: “The exhibition, which is open to the public from Friday 7 June to Sunday 21 July will see this amazing collaboration with official Mr Men Little Miss brought to the heart of the city.

“During this time, Helm will showcase a selection of exclusive original works, prints and merchandise, playfully reimagining the Hargreaves family’s world-famous characters and imagery across an eclectic mix of never-before-seen artwork.

“Helm’s expansive exhibition hall will be completely taken over for six weeks, with artworks from six exciting contemporary artists from the UK, France and Armenia.

“The work will range from paintings to pencil drawings, hand-gilded glass to AI compositions, with limited-edition prints and merchandise created especially for the event.

“Clients can pick up t-shirts, tote bags, hoodies and even limited edition wall clocks on their visit to Helm – all of which will feature the specially designed artwork.

“In conjunction with the exhibition, internationally acclaimed artist Will Blood will be creating a public art mural in The Lanes which can be watched live.

“Mirroring the brand’s everlasting, international appeal, the artists involved represent a broad spectrum of talent, each expressing their love and relationship to the series through their own unique style.

“The exhibition is the ultimate love-letter to a series whose enduring popularity has spanned generations and introduced millions of children across the world to literature and art.

“Adam Hargreaves himself will be attending the exhibition and offering members of the public the incredible opportunity to receive an original drawing by the renowned illustrator, created in front of them, especially for the show.”

Mr Hargreaves is due to draw live at Helm on Saturday 6 July from 2pm to 4pm. Tickets for the event cost £45. Other events planned for the show’s run including a painting workshop for children.

The first Mr Men character, Mr Tickle, was created by Roger Hargreaves in 1971. Since then, Mr Tickle has been joined by a cast of more than Mr Men and Little Miss 90 characters.

When Roger Hargreaves died in 1988, at the age of 53, his son, Adam took on the work of writing and drawing the characters. More than 250 million have been sold worldwide.

Adam Hargreaves said: “I have been writing and illustrating Mr Men and Little Miss books for 35 years and yet it is something that I never imagined I would be doing before my father’s death in 1988.

“As odd as it may sound, I had to learn to draw my father’s characters as, even though I had inherited my father’s drawing ability, his and my styles were quite different.

“They still are, although drawing Mr Men and Little Miss comes as naturally to me now as painting landscapes, maybe more so given the practice I’ve had.

“Interestingly, drawing Mr Men and Little Miss has concentrated and improved my ability to draw no end.

“Creating new books, even after so long and after so many completed, still gives me huge pleasure, fun and satisfaction, but not only this. It gives me a constant connection to the memory of my father and the extraordinary legacy that he left.

“I hope you enjoy this exhibition and all the new and varied versions of the Mr Men and Little Miss that the artists have produced here.”