This exhibition opens the pages of some of the books and magazines that contain Blampied’s designs to show a hidden treasure of dainty drawings and charming illustrations, often signed ‘Blam’, a little known and surprising side of one of Jersey’s most celebrated artists.
You might have expected a Blampied exhibition to focus on the Jersey artist’s famous depictions of rural life; Jersey scenes summed up in a few clever lines. But, as the title of the exhibition suggests, viewers should expect the unexpected, and this collection reveals a little-known side to Jersey’s most celebrated artist.
Edmund Blampied was a prolific and very successful commercial artist, whose lively illustrations featured regularly in the newspapers and society magazines of the day. He was a fast worker, skillful and minimalist, and this exhibition gathers a wealth of previously unseen work, painstakingly compiled by guest curator Andrew Hall. From simple line drawings for newspapers to full colour book dust jackets, clever cartoons and caricatures to children’s book 
illustrations, Blampied is a master at turning his hand to a variety of different genres, producing thousands of pieces of work during his career, including the famous illustrated edition of Peter Pan, Peter and Wendy.
As he grew more popular, he adopted the nickname Blam, which he felt was shorter and snappier than Blampied, and it suited his exuberant signature style perfectly. “His ability to capture expressions and actions in a few very simple lines is astounding,” explains Jersey Museum art curator Louise Downie, “and you can see how the sheer volume and variety of commercial work he undertook refined his style and ability to get things right first time.”
At the height of his career, Blampied illustrations were everywhere, from the dust jackets of popular novels to the pages of society magazines like the Bystander (which later became Tatler). His ability to quickly produce snapshots of society life took him into the heart of London’s social life and to wealthy resorts like the Riviera where he captured England’s rich and famous at play. But despite being the toast of London, Blampied remained a proud Jerseyman at heart, and elements of his beloved island crop up throughout his career, from themes of rural life in his cartoons, to Jersey cows romping through the pages of his children’s books.
The exhibition’s a fascinating insight into Blampied’s rarely-seen commercial world, and a must-see for anyone who’d like the chance to glimpse the world of Twenties and Thirties England through the eyes of Jersey’s witty and vibrant artist.
Blam - the unexpected Blampied, Jersey Museum, 10 April – 31 October, 2010.
www.jerseyheritage.org
