Absolutely fabulous

Last night I attended the opening of The Illustrators exhibition at the Chris Beetles Gallery in Ryder Street. The opening was performed by the one and only Joanna Lumley, a close friend of Chris's for many years, as they both have a passion for illustrators. Well she, like everyone else, was able to indulge themselves with the 700 pictures on show, ranging from E H Shepard and Arthur Rackham at several thousand pounds, to Mac and Matt at a few hundred pounds. If you like illustrators or cartoonists, there are still a few left at very sensible prices. Look for the cat who's having its eyes tested with a mouse chart, and the amazing Peter Brookes of Gordon Brown. The older ones will enjoy Giles and Vicky, while the younger ones have Quentin Blake and Michael Foreman to amuse them. Quentin Blake, and another great collector, Tim Rice, were among those present at what I thought was the best illustrators evening I've attended in many years. Chris is of course a close friend and my redoubtable assistant as an auctioneer, so it gave me great pleasure to witness such a triumph.