Weston Museum showcases Terry Pratchett’s Discworld art

A museum is displaying a number of illustrations that featured in author Sir Terry Pratchett’s famous Discworld series.

The exhibition opens at Weston Museum on May 24 and features illustrations by artist and character designer Paul Kidby – who worked with Pratchett for 30 years.

Sir Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015 and lived in Somerset and the wider South West for much of his life.

“We are very excited for the exhibition, especially after reading the comments and seeing the engagement on social media” said Victoria Haddock, Exhibitions and Programmes Assistant at South West Heritage.

“This family-friendly exhibition offers a stunning selection of Paul’s work, providing visitors a rare opportunity to see how the inhabitants of Discworld are brought to life, from early sketches to the final masterpieces,” she added.

The award-winning Discworld series is set on a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants stood on the back of a giant turtle and populated with hundreds of wonderful wizards, witches and magical creatures.

The exhibition will feature original sketches, prints, paintings and sculptures that fully showcase Kidby’s creative process.

There are 41 Discworld novels in total – with the first being coming in 1983 and the last being published posthumously – five months after Sir Terry Pratchett’s death in 2015.

Pratchett wrote 70 books in total in a 44 year career, he died of natural causes aged 66, having been diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Mr Kidby has also illustrated for books written by Terry’s daughter, Rhianna, although these are not part of the Discworld Series.

In 2017 Mr Kidby created a bronze memorial bust of Sir Terry. The exhibition is a touring exhibition from St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery.

The exhibition will run until August 30th.