Paul Kidby illustrated and designed characters for the fantasy comedy novels for 30 years, designing the covers from 2002 until the final volume in 2015, shortly after the author’s death.
He has also illustrated works based around Discworld such as The Art of Discworld, The Last Hero, and The Ultimate Discworld Companion.
The Discworld series is set on a flat, circular world balanced on the back of four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle.
Although fantastical and full of magic, gods and mythical creatures, the books are known for their thoughtful internal logic and humour, often satirising real-world issues through their characters and stories.
Mr Kidby first met Sir Terry back in 1993 and became his ‘artist of choice’.
He said: “When I began illustrating the novels I felt the characters were so well realised that drawing them was merely translating word to line.”
Sir Terry once said of their creative partnership: “Paul sees things my way about 75 per cent of the time, which suggests either mind reading is happening or that my vision of my characters is really rather vague until I see his drawings.”
The exhibition at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum contains a new selection of artworks, rarely seen on display.
It includes paintings, pencil drawings, a bronze bust of Sir Terry sculpted by Mr Kidby and a rogue’s gallery of favourite characters including Rincewind, Twoflower, the Librarian, Tiffany Aching, the Wee Free Men, Nanny Ogg, Conina and Errol.
It also includes Mr Kidby’s Discworld parodies of famous artworks by artists such as Gainsborough, M.C. Escher, Leonardo da Vinci, and Holman Hunt.
Museums Worcestershire senior curator Deborah Fox said “We are absolutely delighted to host this stunning exhibition of Paul Kidby’s incredible work – bringing Discworld’s beloved characters to life in a way that fans won’t want to miss!”
Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: 30 Years of Paul Kidby’s Illustrations, a touring exhibition on loan from St Barbe Museum + Art Gallery, runs from September 13-January 4.
Tickets are available at the Museums Worcestershire website.
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