A new Edward Bawden exhibition, based on a book he wrote and illustrated for his young children, is opening at the Higgins later this month.
‘Snails for All’ was written and illustrated by Bawden in 1945 after he returned from his duties as a War Artist in the Middle East and was recently gifted to the Higgins Bedford’s Edward Bawden Archive.
To celebrate this new acquisition, the exhibition will display each page of the book alongside other works from the Bawden collection.
Instead of domestic garden snails, this fantastical book about mythical molluscs features the Giant Tortoise Snail of Borneo, so giant that it pushes down trees as it moves; the Lovelies Snail, which frequents mausoleums and “crawls over the bones of girls who have died of love”; and the undiscovered Heartsease snail, whose shell is encrusted with precious stones.
As part of the exhibition, The Higgins Bedford has run workshops with children from Putnoe Primary School and local artist Philippa McDonald to make artwork inspired by the book, which will be displayed in the exhibition.
“‘Snails for All’ is the most fatnastical book of imaginary snails which offered rich inspiration for a group of young artists from Putne Primary School that I had the pleasure of teaching,” said Philippa.
“I spent two delightful mornings with the children, exploring the use of watercolour, as used by Bawden in his illustrations, and studying his wondorous snails.
“But most exciting was when the children began to imagine molluscs of their very own, creativity flowed and the resulting artwork is not to be missed.”
Snails for All is also being published for the first time with an accompanying essay by design, architecture and art historian Alan Powers. The book, published by No Pattern Ltd, will be available to buy from The Higgins Bedford Shop.
A programme of events will accompany the exhibition. See the Higgins Bedford website for more details.
Snails for All will run from Saturday, 23 May until 13 June 2027 in the Edward Bawden Gallery, and entry is free.
The Higgins Bedford, Castle Lane, Bedford, MK40 3XD
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 11am – 5pm | Sunday & Bank Holiday Monday: 2pm – 5pm | Closed on Mondays
