You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
An auction of artwork inspired by Raymond Briggs’ classic picture book The Snowman (Penguin Random House Children's) has raised more than £10,000 for a children’s hospice.
Last month illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes and Chris Riddell recreated the Snowman in their own style as part of plans to celebrate the picture book’s 40th anniversary. The pieces were displayed at Brighton Museum, alongside some of the original illustrations, and were auctioned off online.
The auction raised £10,180 in total, which was donated to Briggs’ chosen charity, Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice, of which he is a Patron.
Blake’s drawing raised the most money, fetching £2,245, and Helen Oxenbury’s interpretation was sold for £1,950. lllustrations by Shirley Hughes and Posy Simmonds also went for more than £1,300.
Isobel Richardson, head of brand management at Penguin Ventures, which creates licensing and partnership opportunities for PRH’s brands, said: “A key ambition for the 40th anniversary of The Snowman was to create an opportunity that celebrated Raymond Briggs as an artist, whilst simultaneously raising awareness of Chestnut Tree House, a charity that Raymond has supported for many years. We were overwhelmed at the response from world-renowned illustrators who were keen to pay tribute to Raymond and The Snowman and we are absolutely thrilled at the figure that the auction of their artworks has raised for the important care that Chestnut Tree House continues to provide.”
The Snowman, a wordless picture book, was first published in 1978 and soon became a Christmas classic. Multiple editions have in total achieved sales of £3.6m since Nielsen BookScan records began in 1998.