Beano - The Art of Breaking the Rules
Exhibition

Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules

21 Oct 2021 - 06 Mar 2022
£16 / £12.50 concessions
Under 6s free

£22 Family of 3
£38 Family of 4

Sat, Sun & Tue 10.00 - 18.00. Wed - Fri 11.00 - 20.00. Last entry 1 hour prior to closing.

Open from 09.00 - 18.00 on Saturday 05 March.

Closed on Mondays.

For telephone bookings call 0333 320 2836 between 09.00 - 20.00 - Mon-Fri, 10.00-20.00 - Sat, 10.00 - 18.00 Sun and Bank Holidays.

Group bookings offer: buy 10 or more 'Full Price' tickets and get 10% discount. To book for a group of 20 or more, phone our groups booking line on 0333 320 2836 between 09.00 - 20.00 - Mon-Fri, 10.00-20.00 - Sat, 10.00 - 18.00 Sun and Bank Holidays. Group bookings are subject to availability.

Educational bookings offer: buy 10 or more 'Student +12' or 'Child (6-11)' tickets and get a free 'Teacher/Tutor' ticket per 10 tickets booked. This offer is not available online. Please phone our group booking line on 0333 320 2836  between 09.00 - 20.00 - Mon-Fri, 10.00-20.00 - Sat, 10.00 - 18.00 Sun and Bank Holidays or email visitor@somersethouse.org.uk. Group bookings are subject to availability.

Embankment Galleries
South Wing

Calling all mayhem-makers and rule-breakers - Beano is taking over Somerset House!

"Far and away the greatest and most joyous comics exhibition that I have ever attended...It is a walk-through fantasia, a primary coloured dreamland of the shared British unconscious."

The New Statesman

★★★★★ “From Viz to the fourth plinth to David Bowie, the perennially upstart comic’s influence rampages on… it is a riot in there”

The Guardian

"Stupid rules! If I had my way there’d only be one – that there are no rules!"

Minnie the Minx

Do you remember your mum and dad dragging you round boring old museums? Bleugh! Well, prepare for your favourite Beano characters to shake things up as we celebrate their spirit of rebellion with our major new exhibition this autumn.

Step into the pages of the comic and take a trip into Beanotown to explore how this beloved icon of British comics has fired up successive generations to break the rules, while discovering artists who push boundaries in their own original and wonderful ways.

Come face-to-face with the Beano gang - including Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Bananaman and the Bash Street Kids – through original comic artwork and amazing artefacts, plundered from the Beano’s archive.

The exhibition is curated by artist and lifelong Beano fan Andy Holden, who gathers today’s greatest creative rule-breakers, including writers, musicians, painters, sculptors and photographers. Each creative revels in their own spirit of rebellion and contributors include Sarah Lucas, Hardeep Pandhal, Phyllida Barlow, pop star Chris Sievey (otherwise known by his alter-ego Frank Sidebottom), Martin Creed, Alex Chinneck, Heather Phillipson,  Ryan Gander, Jann Haworth, Emma Hart, editorial cartoonist Martin Rowson, Rene Matić, Bedwyr Williams and many more. New works include a recording featuring young fiction writer Alex Wheatle, a comic strip from artist Nicola Lane and a neon sculpture from Simeon Barclay.

So whether you want to be inspired by fearless artistic mavericks, revisit a much-loved childhood comic masterpiece or explore the Beano’s larger-than-life characters with your own little rebels, this exhibition will prove that there really is no age limit on the art of breaking the rules.

Ahead of Your Visit

On Sunday 06 March, the courtyard at Somerset House will be closed to the public.

Visitors to the exhibition should go straight to the exhibition entrance on the Embankment, which is a short walk from Temple station. If approaching from the Strand, you can go to Waterloo Bridge and down the steps to the Embankment, or for step-free access go east via the Strand to Surrey Street and down to the Embankment.

We encourage you to take a Covid-19 lateral flow test in advance of the event – please do not attend if you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms.

We kindly request you wear a face-covering in indoor spaces (unless exempt), maintain social distancing and consider other visitors and staff as you move around site.

Please avoid bringing large bags or rucksacks with you as we don’t have a cloakroom onsite. Rucksacks must be handheld to avoid damage to artworks.

What happens if I have to self-isolate or a change in government guidance means I can no longer travel?

If you are unable to attend because you have symptoms of Covid-19 or have been told to self-isolate please contact our Visitor Experience Team (at least 72 hours ahead of your planned visit) at visitor@somersethouse.org.uk who will endeavour to book you into an alternative date subject to availability.

If an alternative date cannot be found then we will aim to return the full payment amount to a credit voucher that will be held with Somerset House and can be used to purchase tickets for an alternative event or exhibition within two years of the credit issue. We cannot guarantee we will be able to exchange or credit any tickets booked if contacted within 72 hours prior to your planned visit.

Watch the trailer

Shop

For all Beano fans, you can find all our Beano products in our shop and also online.

Shortbread Partner

Walker's Logo

Handbags & Accessories Partner

Radley London Logo

Hotel Partner

One Aldwych Logo

New commissions supported by

Adonyeva Foundation Logo

Young people's activities have been generously supported by

Kusuma Trust Logo

Lead image:
Alex Chinneck, Alphabetti Spaghetti, 2019. Photo by Marc Wilmot.
Heather Phillipson, The End, 2020. Photo by James O Jenkins.
Emma Hart, Blind, 2017. Photograph by Renato Ghiazzo. Image courtesy of the artist and The Sunday Painter.
Babak Ganjei, Art is the thing no one asked you to do. 2021. Courtesy the artist.
Nigel Parkinson, Dennis, Gnasher, Yeti, Rubi, JJ, Bananaman.
David Sutherland, Spotty, Plug, Danny (The Bash Street Kids), Biffo the Bear.
Hugh Raine, Betty. The Sharp Bros., Dangerous Dan. Jim Petrie, Minnie the Minx.
A Beano Studios Product © DC Thomson Ltd (2021)