Exhibition celebrates the work of legendary illustrator

Running from 12 May to 31 July, the work of veteran British illustrator Brian Sanders is celebrated in a new 'Selected Works' exhibition at London's Lever Gallery. Famous for its clean line-work and bold use of colour, Sanders' experimental pencil sketches and paintings are held up as the quintessential style of the golden age of illustration.

With a career spanning five decades, Sanders rose to prominence in 1960s London with off-kilter illustrations and portraits for magazines, and in 1965 he was commissioned by Stanley Kubrick to illustrate the film sets and scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This rare opportunity gave Sanders unfettered access to the filming, with much of the work he produced remaining unpublished for decades.

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Thanks to this commission, Sanders found himself in demand from Mad Men series creator Matthew Weiner. The show needed nostalgic imagery that called to mind the painterly illustrations of the 1970s TWA flight menus, so Weiner turned to Sanders to produce promotional illustrations and DVD packaging. Appearing on billboards and buses, this commission catapulted Sanders' name back into the public eye in 2011.

The exhibition at the Lever Gallery will focus on four areas of the Brian Sanders archive, namely: Bubble and Streak: 1960s illustration, Bubble and Streak: Revisited (Mad Men), 2001: A Space Odyssey, and NOVA Portraits.

Get a taste of the work that will appear on display with the gallery below.

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