THE SUICIDE & REINCARNATION OF AN EXTREMELY SMALL MAN (1972)

'A rare mini-comic by Ronald Searle. It's the forty-first volume of a series of limited editions called Les Poquettes volantes. (I've never seen any other volume.) In name, size (13,5 x 10,2 cm) and style of this booklet reminds me of L'Association's (much later) Patte de mouche series.'             From THIS Flickr set by Arthur van Kruining

I asked Ronald if this series of drawings sprang from an animated project.  He told me;


'the little booklet: Suicide,etc. was Vol: 41 in a continuing series called 'Les Poquettes Volantes' from a slightly surrealistic publisher in Belgium - a friend - who gave every writer or artist a totally free hand and each poquette was limited to 1000 copies.  It was fun to do. It wasn't more than that. Not a storyboard idea, or anything else.'


Apparently Searle did another booklet in this series LES VOLANTES DU RAVISSEUR (#42) but I haven't been able to locate it yet.

Update

Gerald Scarfe chooses his top 10 cartoonists with Mr Searle of course Number 1!  Read the story here
(Thanks to Claude)



You can now follow errant skoolboy Nigel Molesworth on Twitter 

Great new blog collecting & selling vintage Punch covers inc. Searle's.


















A nice Searle quote on drawing here

Les Très Riches Heures de Mrs. Mole

Ronald Searle: Exhibition with Reception and Talk

Tuesday, 15 February 2011
The Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AZ

Artists' Choice Editions present an exhibition of the 47 paintings Ronald Searle made for his wife, Monica, to cheer her whilst she was undergoing five years of chemotherapy.

Proceeds in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and The Foundling Museum.

There is a talk at 7.15pm by Valerie Grove on Searle’s life. Prints signed by Monica & Ronald Searle will be for sale on the evening and a book, Les Très Riches Heures de Mrs Mole, illustrating the paintings, will be available.

6.30 to 9pm. Booking essential. Tickets £20.00.

Click here for the invitation - giving full details of how to book tickets, etc.

Also the Cartoon Museum,London will be showing the Mrs Mole pictures for a month from 16 Feb to 20 March.  Curator Anita  O'Brien informs me that conversations with Monica Searle will provide more background to each picture.

Merry Christmas from Ronald Searle!

Those lucky enough to be on Searle's Christmas Card list received a nice surprise every year.  Ex-Disney animator Vladimir 'Bill' Tytla was one of those fortunate few-Searle met him in New York and remembers the volatile Ukranian fondly.

Tytla's widow Adrienne assembled a giant book on her husband's life in which several cards from Searle are reproduced.

More personal cards found on Ebay

Christmas Card Box-set

 Christmas Books 1989

Christmas 1992

2002 rough concept

Ronald's 1998 Christmas Card

Searle's cards in the last few years have featured Santa and his reindeer and coloured balloons.

Ronald's 2008 Christmas Card

2010

'Ronald Searle (1920-2011) original pen and ink illustration depicting a photographer and ballet dancer, signed with initials and bearing Searle stamp to reverse, 25cm x 20cm. This illustration was a Christmas card design for Roger Wood - original card included, together with a letter from Searle on his headed paper dated Nov 30th '49 'Dear Roger Wood, This is probably gross libel - but that is the sort of thing you must put up with from cartoonists! Sincerely Ronald Searle'. Also included is a rough pencil note from Roger Wood to Searle as a reply to his letter (4 items)'

-Reeman Dansie Auctioneers (June 2013)

A two-colour Christmas card designed by Ronald Searle detailing a score of mostly disgruntled-looking birds roosting in a skeletal Christmas tree with Santa glaring at the one selfish bird who has constructed a nest from the foliage. This greetings card sent by Searle and his wife to Veronica [Wedgewood] and Jacqueline [Hope-Wallace, her long-time partner]: "Could you join us for a Christmas drink on the 27th 6-8.0? We'd love to see you if you are free. K&R". Paperstock a little tanned, mostly at edges. Tricky to date, but presumably sent sometime between 1947 and 1966.