BRITISH LIBRARY EXHIBITION
In 2021, The British Library displayed Paddington: The Story of a Bear in London. This family-friendly exhibition celebrates one of the world’s most beloved fictional bears, Paddington, his kind and welcoming nature, and the many mishaps he gets into. The exhibition also uncovered the real-life inspiration behind the bear – through author Michael Bond’s own notes, his trusty typewriter and photographs that offer a glimpse into his remarkable life.
The exhibition toured around the UK and visited Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, North Hertfordshire Museum and more. From April to September 2023, the exhibition came to Torre Abbey, Torquay.
Japanese Exhibitions
From 2018 to 2020, 4 exhibitions took place across Japan at the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Koriyama City Museum of Art and Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art.
The exhibition displayed an extensive collection of Paddington memorabilia and archive documents, whilst touring seven key museums over two years.
Items on display included:
- Original artwork by multiple Paddington illustrators
- Film poster art
- First editions of international Paddington novels
- Film Fair set pieces and models
- Film Fair stills
- Copies of original reviews and letters
- Sketches and storyboards
- Vintage plush and toys
Exhibitions across Europe
Fans enjoyed discovering more about Paddington's story in Donostia Kulture in Spain (Nov 2018-Feb 2019) and Warsow Library in Poland (June 2019).
These exhibition presented a selection of Peggy Fortnum and Movie artwork, printed locally, alongside extracts from A Bear Called Paddington. Modern iterations of Paddington plush were also featured.
Movie artwork is additionally utilised in a dedicated children’s area, designed using standees to create a miniature London.