We were all saddened to hear today of the passing of Raymond Briggs, one of our most beloved artists.
Born in Wimbledon Park in 1934, he left school at 15 to study at the Wimbledon School of Art, and then later at the Slade School of Fine Art. He worked initally as a commercial artist but, disappointed by the quality of the work he was asked to illustrate, was motivated to write a book of his own. The Strange House was published in 1961, the start of a long and successful career as an author and illustrator.
He won many awards over his career including the Kurt Maschler Award, The Children's Book of the Year, Dutch Silver Pen Award - and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award twice. First for his wonderful illustrations of the Mother Goose Nursery Treasury and then again in 1973 for Father Christmas. He created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman and, of course, the beloved Snowman.
Raymond Briggs was awarded the BookTrust 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children's literature. The award was set up in 2015 to celebrate an author or illustrator's outstanding contribution to children's books.
Discussing the impact of Raymond Briggs’ work, Judge Shami Chakrabarti said: "Raymond is a true artistic genius who has touched the hearts of millions of children of all ages. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and his particular style of illustration is unmistakable as are his understated and poignant words of narrative and dialogue. His talent expresses his values and with his choice and treatment of subjects he brings our history and contemporary challenges to life."
Francesca Dow, managing director of his publisher, Penguin Random House children’s books, said: “Raymond was unique. He has inspired generations of creators of picture books, graphic novels, and animations. He leaves an extraordinary legacy, and a big hole.”
