Beano: The Art Of Breaking the Rules

Fun exhibition at Somerset House looking at the history of the comic the Beano and its influence on British culture.

This was a beautifully laid out show and had much more in it than I’d imagined. It started by outlining the origins in 1938 and the early editions then went on to look at some of the themes of the strips, food, discipline and punishment and rule breaking. It was all done using great graphics to guide you around.

There was a good section on the different characters and the artists who had created them with lots of original drawings. This continued upstairs with some of the later characters often using the characters to examine social themes such as using Lord Snotty to look at class.

Throughout the show there were art works, some commissioned for the exhibition, inspired by the comic and its ethos and themes. It included a room of art works by contemporary artists who break the rules which had a fun video game in which you could throw imaginary paint balls at famous art works.

All great fun but leaving you with lots to think about too.

Closes 6 March 2022


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