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2nd April 2009
The first selling show of work by Norman Thelwell in 20 years. Some say he's the most popular cartoonist since the Second World War, Norman Thelwell’s work remains as relevant and as rib-tickling as ever. He is best remembered for his cheeky fat ponies, beloved of almost every teenager who has ridden a horse. Indeed, his strip in the Sunday Express, featuring Kipper and his rider, Penelope, proved so popular that a certain kind of pony was nicknamed ‘Thelwell’. 
However, Thelwell was a wide-ranging artist, who tackled many subjects for a variety of newspapers and periodicals, including Punch, with which he developed a close relationship over a period of 25 years. Thelwell had a strong understanding of many aspects of post-war Britain and of the British character, and may be considered the heir to the Punch cartoonist, Pont. From estate agents to battery farmers, and from hunt protestors to harassed motorists, he chronicled the minutiae of our social lives - at work, rest and play. Thelwell convinced us to his view of the world through his original and engaging approach to draughtsmanship. An accomplished landscape painter, he produced detailed, naturalistic settings for lively, comic figures that represent, what he called, ‘the endearing lunacy of human behaviour’. As the leading dealer in illustrators and cartoonists, Chris Beetles mounted a huge sell-out show of Norman Thelwell in 1989. The Definitive Thelwell provides an even more comprehensive cross-section of the work of this essential British artist, with over 150 drawings and watercolours. Subjects of the cartoons will include architecture and building, art, boating, children, domestic life, farming, fishing, football, gardening, historical events, hunting, industry, motoring, pets, riding, television, tourism. A group of landscapes and seascapes will also be included. Exhibition runs from Wednesday 13 May – Saturday 6 June 2009, Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5.30pm 8 & 10 Ryder Street, London SW1Y 6QBm Tel: 020 7839 7551 Fax: 020 7839 1603, www.chrisbeetles.com
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