IN THE East Gallery

The Picture Book Odysseys of Peter Sís

Peter Sís invites readers on incredible journeys. His picture book biographies recount the real-life travels of British biologist Charles Darwin and French pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. He depicts the life and persecution of 17th-century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. Born in Czechoslovakia, Sís transports readers to the ancient city of Prague in The Three Golden Keys and explores its political past in The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. He chronicles his father’s two-year odyssey in the Himalaya Mountains in Tibet Through the Red Box, and creates a modern-day fairytale in Madlenka. This exhibition showcases more than 90 original illustrations from 26 picture books, ranging from Sís’s exquisitely detailed paintings of historical narratives to the bold graphics of his early readers. A selection of painted objects and public art projects showcase other facets of his award-winning career.

This exhibition is made possible with generous support from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Exhibition design by Katie Craig.