The Reality Dysfunction

I've just spent the day at the national gallery. The UK's premier gallery of fine art.

I met old friends by Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet and their ilk and it reminded me of a vexing problem.

As of today there are only three (four if you count orbital comics revolving gallery space) which celebrate the work of UK illustrators/comic illustrators/cartoonists.

I find myself asking a very simple question: Why?

Why is it that, to date, there exists no permanent gallery on the scale of any of the major "art" galleries in the UK anywhere in the UK that proudly display and celebrate contemporary illustrators?

(Lets not splitting hairs. Whether you draw comics, cartoons, do concept work for video games/films or storyboard for a living, you ARE an illustrator. So from this point onwards I intend to us the word "illustrator" as an umbrella term. Strength in numbers as it were)

Is it that we English have such little respect-and maybe an unnatural fear-of excellence that our only alternative is to celebrate mediocrity?

Do we judge excellence by what wins x-factor and British got talent? Where is our artistic pride? Are our only successful exports the empty thoughtlessness of Emin and Hurst?

Why not the draftmanship (draftpersonship?) and ability of "illustrators such and Sean Phillips, Posy Simmonds, Quentin Blake(sp?), Bryan Hitch, Simon Bisley, Jim Holdaway, John M Burns, Frank Hampton, Jim Burns, Sarah Mclntrye, Anthony Browne, Alan Davis, Nathan Fox, Beatrix Potter?

Why is this the case?

What is the solution?

Seriously, if your in London town and you like British illustration/political cartooning/book illustration, Make your way to Chris Beetles illustration gallery

Here are a selection of some of the British illustrators who I've been looking at.

Eric Fraser

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/artist.php?art=1740

David Low

http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=summary&search=david+low


David Low

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/chapter_detail.php?id=1046&pageNum=13&ch=59#low