"There is no such thing as a mistake...a mistake is an opportunity to do something else."
/Ralph Steadman /
Portobello Film and Art Festival
As part of the Portobello Film Festival 2025 and its 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Muse Gallery is proud to present "Once Upon a Line," an exhibition showcasing the bold, satirical, and unmistakably original work of renowned British artist Ralph Steadman.
To commemorate 30 years of the Portobello Film Festival, this year’s official cover features a work by Ralph Steadman “If I want it to be a sky, it's a sky”. Steadman previously created a cover for the festival in 2006, featuring his iconic piece,
“Torpedo Collage”
The exhibition brings together a curated selection of prints and etchings from the Steadman Archive - some of which have not been assembled or displayed together for over a decade - alongside prints and sculptures produced by Ralph Steadman Art Collection Ltd., in collaboration with Aerosol Colours Ltd and Tin Man Art.
Among the many remarkable works on display is perhaps one of Steadman’s most iconic images, originally created for Hunter S. Thompson’s novel, “Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.” This celebrated print was produced in collaboration with Steadman’s longtime friend and art dealer, Brian Chambers, at The Chambers Project.
Presented by the Muse Gallery, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience Steadman’s distinctive visual voice - a force that has shaped political commentary, literary illustration, and countercultural art for generations. As the famed co- conspirator of Hunter S. Thompson, Steadman’s work is marked by a troubled relationship with sanity, an anarchic sense of humour, and at its core, an unquestionable integrity. His wry illustrations are both entirely surreal and endearingly honest. Made during a long residency at Peacock Visual Arts in the late 1980s, these etchings form part of a larger suite honouring writers who influenced Steadman, among them Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and William Burroughs.
We are also excited to feature his latest work with Peacock Visual Arts in this collection, inspired by his homage to Picasso’s 347 Suite.
We welcome visitors to Muse Gallery this September to experience the remarkable breadth and vision of Ralph Steadman’s work.
Ralph Steadman is one of the most revered and admired British artists of his generation and printmaking is a technique which he has explored throughout his career. Since his students’ days in the 1950’s and 1960’s to present day collaborations with Tin Man Art and Peacock Visual Arts, with whom he has released new prints in the last 12 months, printmaking has always been a creative method which has excited and inspired him.
Ralph Steadman and Printmaking
In 1958 Ralph Steadman enrolled in the East Ham Technical College (now Newham College) to further study and improve upon his craft. There he met Leslie Richardson who would become a lifelong friend and mentor. He encouraged Ralph to delve into all aspects of the creative arts including printing and printmaking. It would become a common feature in his work, especially after he purchased an entire printmakers studio of wood blocks for £25 in the 1970’s. He has used them in works of art as well as for several book title cover designs over the decades including Psychogeography (Bloomsbury, 2007) and Doodah (Bloomsbury, 2002).
During the 1990’s Steadman began working with Peacock Visual Arts in Aberdeen. The team helped Steadman realise several collections of prints including The Cabinet of the Mind inspired by positions in the British Cabinet, a collection of authors portraits realised as etchings including figures such as his friend Kurt Vonnegut, TS Elliot, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Wolfe and Collette and a set of prints in homage to one of his creative heroes, Pablo Picasso. This last set is still having pieces added to it today and we are proud to present the latest for the first time, at The Muse Gallery.
In 2024, Ralph was introduced to James Elwes at Tin Man Art and has since produced 2 prints with the gallery. The first is a 14-colour screen print with silver leaf and stained with tea, of collaborator and friend, Hunter S. Thompson for whom he illustrated the cult classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Paladin, 1972). The second takes one of his incredible illustrations from Alice Through the Looking Glass (Dobson, 1972) and merges it with a digitally printed piece of the note riddled blot splashed paper from the back of his drawing board. Scribbled phone numbers, notes and splashes of ink peek through the chequerboard floor in the Alice drawing, bringing a marvellous chaos to the otherwise delicate and pristine line work.
Steadman has always enjoyed experimenting with new techniques. In 2023 he was introduced to digital printing and mapping by Charlie Baird at Bristol based creative hub, Aerosol Colours. Baird, also known by the pseudonym Sickboy, suggested the creation of a 3-D version of his classic Hunter S. Thompson portrait, Gonzo Guilt! The sculpture was exactingly digitally modelled before being cast as a bronze infused resin and an edition of 25 was created. It is an exciting challenge to bring Ralph’s 2-dimensional drawing to 3-dimensional life.
Portobello Film & Art Festival showcases the best new movies: independent, hot off the edit suite, often low budget, fresh ideas uncompromised by corporate protocols. We do our best to screen all films submitted and give them a glamorous send off in London’s sexy Portobello Road. Previous debutants at the festival have included Guy Ritchie, Sarah Gavron, and Shane Meadows. Terry Gilliam, John Malkovich, Hanif Kureishi, Julien Temple, Anita Pallenberg, and Chris Cunningham have all introduced their work and offered masterclasses to the public. __________________________________________________
Exhibition Dates:
28th August - 21st September 2025
Gallery Opening Hours:
Thursday to Sunday, 12-6pm, or by appointment
www.themuseat269.com
@muse_at_269
www.ralphsteadman.com
@steadmanart
www.portobellofilmfestival.com
For enquiries or to arrange a visit, please contact: info@themuseat269.com
Ralph Steadman Collection: info@ralphsteadmanartcollection.com