As we prepare to celebrate world-renowned children’s book author and illustrator Brian Wildsmith with two new exhibitions at The Cooper Gallery and Experience Barnsley Museum, Tracey Hebron (Collections Clerk) looks back on the life of a Barnsley born author and illustrator.

---

Brian Lawrence Wildsmith was born on 22 January 1930 in Penistone to parents Paul and Annie, in a terraced stone house on Queen Street. Brian had two brothers, Donald, Alan as well as a sister, Joy. A creative child, he enjoyed art, sports, and music. He attended the primary school St Helens. Brian had fond memories of his time there, he spoke with great affection about his softly spoken teacher Miss Marron and of the warm and creative atmosphere the school provided.

Brian Wildsmith, age 10

Between 1941 and 1946 Brian had a scholarship to attend the De La Salle College for boys in Sheffield. On leaving the school he was torn between the career of a chemist or painter. He opted for the latter and enrolled into Barnsley School of Art (1946 – 1949). Here he spent 3 years studying various topics including architecture and still life, becoming influenced by artists including Klee and Picasso.

In 1947, aged just 17, and in his second year at the college, Brian gained his first paid work doing drawings for the Barnsley Chronicle. He created various portrait drawings of miners for the paper and interviewed them in working men’s clubs around the borough. In October of 1949 he received a Scholarship to the Slade Art School under Sir William Coldstream, Claude Rogers and Lucien Freud. He would be awarded a Diploma of Fine Arts.

Portrait of F.Finley for The Barnsley Chronicle by Brian Wildsmith, 1947 and Boy at chemist from The Bonnie Pit Laddie

In 1955 Brian took on the position of art teacher at Selhurst Grammar School in Croydon where he stayed until around 1957. While making a living as a teacher, he was also thinking about his creative aspirations. A story in a newspaper had sparked his curiosity when he read that 29,000 books were published on average each year and he knew that these books would need illustrating. Brian began submitting art works to publishers including Faber and Penguin. He gained his first illustration contract for the book jacket of ‘Daffodil Sky’ by H E Bates. This kickstarted his career as a freelance illustrator, leading him to design around 84 book covers during the 1950s and 60s, including ‘The Professor’ by Charlotte Bronte.

From 1960 to 1965 he became a member of the William Stobbs’ team of teachers at Maidstone College of Art, however his heart was set on a life of illustration. He was determined to make a career from his artwork and eventually gave up teaching full-time. In 1961, Mabel George: children’s editor at Oxford University Press, commissioned Brian to do illustrations for the book, ‘Tales from the Arabian Nights’. This would lead to wonderful opportunities within the book world and in 1962 he was Awarded the Kate Greenaway medal for his work on the book, ‘ABC’. His vibrant use of colour and depictions of animals became his trademark.

In the 1970s Brian and his family moved permanently to France. Living in the private village of Castellaras Le Vieux designed by Jacques Couëlle. Here his career flourished further, success included publishing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ and ‘Jungle Party’. As well as illustrating books he spent a lot of time painting. In the late 1970s and early 80s he travelled widely and would have a huge success with exhibitions in the USA and then Japan. In 1994 a Brian Wildsmith Art Museum was opened in Izu-kogen, in the south of Tokyo in Japan, closing the year he died in 2016. Lecture tours were also conducted in many countries including South Africa and Australia.

                      

In 1998 Brian’s work was shown in a British Council Touring Exhibition titled, ‘The World of English Picture Books’ alongside Quentin Blake and Raymond Briggs. In 2010 an exhibition of his work at the Illustration Cupboard coincided with Brian’s 80th birthday, leading to exhibitions at Seven Stories in Newcastle and The Civic in Barnsley.

Brian passed away on 31 August 2016, having achieved huge success both in the UK and around the world. The success of a recent book launch of ‘paws, claws, tails and roars: Brian Wildsmith’s Animal Kindom’ from the Oxford University Press (OUP) and the announcement of a major two site  exhibition, The World of Brian Wildsmith opening 20 April 2024 at Barnsley Museums continues the legacy of a proud Barnsley man who has touched the hearts of both art and book lovers. The Wildsmith family continue to tell Brian’s story. You can find out more at:  www.brianwildsmith.com

                                                                             

Have you read our recent blogs?