Auction of nine unique pieces of art raised funds for Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice.
A special ‘My Snowman’ art auction has raised over £10,000 for charity.
Last year, as part of the 40th anniversary of Raymond Briggs’s picture book, The Snowman, Penguin Ventures asked leading children’s book illustrators to recreate The Snowman in their own iconic style.
In December, nine unique pieces of artwork went on display at Brighton Museum, alongside an exhibition of the original illustrations from The Snowman by Raymond Briggs CBE.
Quentin Blake, Adam Hargreaves, Shirley Hughes, Helen Oxenbury, Chris Riddell, Posy Simmonds, Andy Stanton, Ed Vere and the late John Burningham all paid homage to Raymond by recreating The Snowman in their own iconic style.
The one-off pieces were all signed by the relevant illustrator and available to buy via an online auction, which was live from December 4, 2018 until January 6, 2019.
The £10,180 raised has gone directly to Raymond Briggs’s chosen charity, Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice, of which he is a Patron. Also included in the auction were three copies of the 40th anniversary edition of The Snowman book, signed by Raymond.
The most sought-after artwork in the auction was the illustration by Sir Quentin Blake (pictured above), which paid tribute to The Snowman’s scarf, that Quentin said he always felt was not long enough.
The one-off signed piece fetched £2,245 in the auction and was won by an anonymous bidder.
“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,” said Isobel Richardson, head of brand management at Penguin Ventures.
“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.”
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