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Gerald Scarfe
Gerald Scarfe
Gerald Scarfe
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Gerald Anthony Scarfe CBE RDI (born 1 June 1936) is an English satirical cartoonist and illustrator. He has worked as editorial cartoonist for The Sunday Times and illustrator for The New Yorker.

Key Information

Scarfe’s other work includes graphics for rock group Pink Floyd, particularly on their 1979 album The Wall, its 1982 film adaptation, and tour (1980–81), as well as the music video for "Welcome to the Machine."[1][2] From 1980 through to 1987, Scarfe also provided the opening animated titles and end credit illustrations for Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister for BBC Television. Also, Scarfe was the production designer on the Disney animated feature Hercules (1997).

Early life

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Scarfe was born in St John's Wood, London.[3] As Scarfe was severely asthmatic as a child, he spent many of his early years bed-ridden,[4] so drawing became a means of entertainment as well as a creative outlet. Scarfe speculated that the dark and grotesque images that often characterise his work are a result of his loneliness and asthma.[4] Scarfe has stated that the irreverence apparent in much of his work can be traced back to "dodgy treatments" and a reliance on what he feels were incompetent doctors.[5]

The cartoonist Ronald Searle was an early influence for Scarfe. At the age of 14 and now living in Hampstead, North London, Scarfe decided it would be easy to cycle to Bayswater and visit Searle. He went several times but never rang the doorbell. It would be decades before he would actually meet Searle in 2005.[6] Scarfe attended Saint Martin's School of Art (now part of the University of the Arts London) in Holborn, London.[7] He also attended the London College of Printing,[7] and East Ham Technical College (now Newham College of Further Education).[8]

Career

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Early work

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After briefly working in advertising, a profession he grew to dislike intensely, Scarfe's early caricatures of public figures were published in satirical magazine Private Eye throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning in 1960, he produced illustrations for Punch, The Evening Standard and The Daily Sketch. The Sunday Times magazine assigned Scarfe to cover the 1964 US presidential election. He continued to work for The Sunday Times for two years, also producing several cover illustrations for Time magazine, including caricatures of The Beatles in 1967.[9]

In the mid-1960s he took a job at the Daily Mail following a Dutch auction for his services with the Daily Express. His decision to work for the Daily Mail led to his estrangement from fellow cartoonist Ralph Steadman, alongside whom he had studied art at East Ham Technical College. Soon after, Steadman was commissioned to illustrate Scarfe and "produced an image that was half saint and half Superman, but with a disconnected heart".[10] Scarfe spent only one year working for the Daily Mail, during which time he was sent to provide illustrations from the Vietnam War.

Pink Floyd and Roger Waters

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Scarfe was approached to work with Pink Floyd after Roger Waters and Nick Mason both saw his animated BBC film A Long Drawn Out Trip. Pink Floyd's 1974 programme for their tour in the UK and US, in the form of a comic, included a centre-spread caricature of the band.[11] Scarfe later produced a set of animated short clips used on the 1977 In The Flesh tour, including a full-length music video for the song Welcome to the Machine.[12]

Scarfe also drew the illustrations for their 1979 album The Wall and provided animation and stage props, including enormous inflatable characters for the subsequent 1980–1981 concert tour in support of that album.[11] In 1982, he worked on the film version of The Wall, although he and Roger Waters fell out with director Alan Parker during the latter stages of editing.[13] As well as the artwork, Scarfe contributed 15 minutes' worth of elaborate animation to the film, including a sequence depicting the German bombing campaign over England during World War II, set to the song "Goodbye Blue Sky". Some of the animated footage was not original to the film, having been produced for and used in the 1980–81 concert tour, as well as being featured in the 1979 music video for "Another Brick in the Wall: Part 2".[citation needed]

Scarfe continued to work with Roger Waters after the latter left Pink Floyd, creating the graphics and animation for Waters' solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984) and its supporting tour.[13] Scarfe was also involved in subsequent theatrical adaptations of The Wall, including The Wall Concert in Berlin (1990),[13] and Waters' worldwide The Wall Live (2010-2013) tour, where his animations were projected on a vast scale. Scarfe's collaboration with Waters was marked in 2008 by the release of a signed limited-edition eight-print series, "Scarfe on the Wall", which contained a monograph book with an extended new interview with Scarfe and was signed by Roger Waters. Early editions of "Scarfe on The Wall" (by date of pre-order, not issue number) came with an additional print giving a total of nine in the set – making these the rarest and most valuable sets. In 2010, Scarfe's book The Making of Pink Floyd: The Wall was published, detailing the artist's work with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters from 1974 to 2010. The book contains contributions from Floyd members Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and David Gilmour, as well as director of the film, Alan Parker.[14]

The Exceptional Child

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Scarfe sketched the eponymous Exceptional Child for the opening title sequence of the BBC's 1964 television documentary of the same name.[15]

The Fall And Rise of Reginald Perrin

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He designed the 'Grot' logo for the BBC TV series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

Yes Minister

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He provided caricatures of Paul Eddington, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds (as their respective characters) for the opening and closing sequences of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.[16]

Hercules

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Scarfe was approached to work on the 1997 Disney film Hercules by Ron Clements and John Musker, longtime fans who had risen to prominence within Disney following the success of The Little Mermaid. Scarfe worked as a conceptual character artist, designing almost all of the characters and then supervising the 900 Disney artists charged with adapting his designs for the film.[17]

Postage stamps

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The Royal Mail used Scarfe's artwork for a set of five commemorative postage stamps, issued on 23 April 1998. Honoring English comedians, the stamps feature Scarfe caricatures of Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe, Joyce Grenfell, Les Dawson and Peter Cook.[18][19]

Millennium Dome sculpture

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He was invited to create a sculpture for the Millennium Dome, which was entitled "Self Portrait". The Dome's chief executive PY Gerbeau said "it mirrors what we like – and what we don't – about our nation".[20]

Theatre/stage design

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Scarfe has designed sets for a number of operatic productions, including Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox. Following a chance meeting at a BBC prom he worked with Peter Hall on his version of Mozart's The Magic Flute, which drew critical acclaim. He is lined up to provide animation for Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, a stage show featuring Steinman's music.[citation needed] Scarfe designed the sets and costumes for the English National Opera's 1988 production of Orpheus in the Underworld; among the costumes Scarfe designed were those of the characters Orpheus, Eurydice, and the Gods of Mount Olympus. He also produced all the costume and scenery designs for the 2002 Christopher Hampson production of The Nutcracker, for the English National Ballet.[21] [citation needed]

Heroes and Villains

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In 2003 Scarfe collaborated with the National Portrait Gallery and BBC Four to make caricatures of a number of famous Britons, to depict (along with guest commentary) their heroic and villainous attributes. Amongst the over 30 portraits he depicted included caricatures of Henry VIII, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth I, Pete Best, Richard Branson, Adam Smith, William Blake, The Beatles, Agatha Christie and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2009, he also created a caricature of James May out of Lego which was shown in episode 5 of James May's Toy Stories for BBC Two. Scarfe and Jane Asher also appeared in the episode. [citation needed]

Netanyahu cartoon

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In its edition of 27 January 2013 (Britain's Holocaust Memorial Day), London's Sunday Times published a cartoon by Scarfe depicting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paving a wall with the blood and bodies of Palestinians, captioned "Israeli elections—will cementing peace continue?"[22] The cartoon's timing and content was criticised by groups including the European Jewish Congress and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, with accusations of antisemitism leveled against Scarfe.[23][24]

Unaware the cartoon would appear on Holocaust Memorial Day,[25] Scarfe argued that the cartoon was clearly aimed specifically at Netanyahu and his policies, and were in response to his election, rather than being related to Holocaust Memorial Day.[26][27] The newspaper's proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, apologised for the cartoon on Twitter, and acting editor Martin Ivens promised to be more vigilant in future.[28]

The cartoon was published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, where Anshel Pfeffer discusses the cartoon in great detail, giving four reasons why, in his opinion, the cartoon is not antisemitic.[29] Writer Howard Jacobson claimed the cartoon was not antisemitic.[30] British Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks condemned the cartoon.[31]

Recycled Radio

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Since June 2013, Scarfe has presented a programme on BBC Radio 4 called Recycled Radio,[32] which is described as "the chopped-up, looped-up, sped-up world...where old programmes are reused to explore a series of weighty subjects".[33]

Bristol Charity Auction

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In October 2013 Scarfe donated his time to decorate one of the large Wallace & Gromit statues to be auctioned for the Bristol hospital charity that was featured live on the BBC.[34] His contribution finally ending up being sold to an internet bidder from Miami Florida where the statue was exported into a private collection, ultimately topping all estimates on value with a bid second highest only to the Pixar statue contribution.

Scarfe's Bar

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In 2014, Scarfe's Bar was opened in the Covent Garden area of London, in the Rosewood London, where his "distinctive caricatures not only decorate the walls but also influence the creative thrust behind their menus."[35]

Personal life

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He is married to actress Jane Asher, whom he met in 1971.[36] The couple wed in 1981[37] and have a daughter and two sons.[38]

Awards and accolades

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Bibliography

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Gerald Scarfe

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Gerald Scarfe (born 1 June 1936) is an English satirical cartoonist and illustrator renowned for his exaggerated, grotesque caricatures of politicians and public figures. His career, spanning over six decades, includes contributions to publications such as Punch, Private Eye, The Sunday Times, and The New Yorker. Scarfe gained international prominence through his collaborations with Pink Floyd, providing artwork for the 1979 album The Wall, animations for its 1982 film adaptation, and visuals for the accompanying stage tour. He also served as production designer for Disney's Hercules (1997) and designed sets for theatrical productions like English National Opera's Orpheus in the Underworld (1983) and the English National Ballet's The Nutcracker (2002). Scarfe's early life was marked by chronic , which confined him to bed and fostered his interest in as a form of expression and escape. After limited formal and brief stints in graphic studios, he freelanced and established himself in satirical cartooning by the early . His biting style, often depicting subjects in distorted, nightmarish forms to highlight perceived flaws or hypocrisies, has defined his output, with regular political cartoons appearing in for over 50 years. Notable achievements include curating the Rude Britannia exhibition at , designing Royal Mail postage stamps, and receiving the Commander of the (CBE) in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to . Scarfe's work has not been without , reflecting the provocative nature of his ; for instance, his 2002 designs for drew criticism for their dark, satirical tone deemed unsuitable for a children's . More notably, a 2013 Sunday Times cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister building a wall with blood-stained bricks as lay bricks elicited accusations of anti-Semitism, prompting an apology from the newspaper's editor, though Scarfe maintained it targeted policy rather than ethnicity. These incidents underscore the tension between his unflinching artistic critique and public sensitivities.

Early Life

Childhood and Family Background

Gerald Scarfe was born on 1 June 1936 in , , to Reginald Scarfe, a banker, and Dorothy Scarfe, a schoolteacher. His father, Reginald Thomas Scarfe, served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, which frequently separated him from the family and placed the burden of household management on his mother amid wartime disruptions. Scarfe remained an until approximately age seven, when his younger brother was born, contributing to a sense of early isolation exacerbated by his health issues. From around age one, Scarfe suffered from severe chronic , rendering him for much of his childhood and limiting social interactions, which fostered anxiety and a turn toward solitary pursuits like as a primary outlet. This medical condition scattered his formal education and confined him largely to the home environment, where his parents' occupations—a father's in banking and a mother's educational background—provided a middle-class stability amid personal hardships.

Health Challenges and Artistic Awakening

Scarfe developed chronic at the age of one, which confined him to bed for extended periods throughout his childhood and led to frequent hospitalizations. This condition rendered much of his early years isolated, with Scarfe later describing it as a "very lonely childhood" marked by limited social interaction. By age 16, he had spent the majority of his time bedridden or in medical care, limiting physical activities and peer engagement. The enforced solitude fostered an early immersion in creative pursuits, as Scarfe turned to drawing, reading, puppet-making, and constructing toy theatres to occupy his time and express inner experiences. He began sketching during these confinements, initially focusing on fantastical subjects like monsters and exaggerated figures that reflected his fears and imagination, rather than realistic portraits. This practice served as both an escape from physical limitations and a when verbal or social outlets were scarce, laying the groundwork for his distinctive satirical style. Scarfe's asthma persisted into his late teens, with him for most of his first 19 years, during which evolved from a coping mechanism into a profound artistic passion. The illness, while debilitating, inadvertently channeled his energies toward visual expression, enabling him to develop technical skills and a penchant for , expressive without formal instruction. This period of "ten, twelve years" of relative immobility honed his ability to observe and distort human forms, themes that would define his later professional work.

Career Foundations

Initial Professional Entries

Scarfe's entry into professional illustration followed a brief and unsatisfactory period working in advertising. Dissatisfied with commercial art, he pursued freelance cartooning, with his debut published work—a joke —appearing in the in 1957. His early submissions gained traction in established British publications, including Punch, where he contributed satirical drawings starting in the late 1950s. By the early 1960s, Scarfe had solidified his reputation through regular caricatures for Punch and the satirical magazine , marking his initial foray into pointed political and social commentary via distorted, grotesque imagery. Among his first notable commissions was a 1964 caricature of depicted in the , capturing the aging statesman's frailty amid parliamentary proceedings. This piece exemplified Scarfe's emerging style of exaggerated physical features to convey vulnerability and power dynamics, setting the template for his later editorial work. Additional early outlets included the Evening Standard, where his illustrations appeared alongside contributions to Punch, providing steady freelance income and exposure during the 1960s. These initial entries honed Scarfe's technique in ink and watercolor, emphasizing bold lines and thematic bite over photorealism.

Newspaper and Magazine Contributions

Scarfe's earliest published cartoons appeared in the Daily Sketch in 1957, marking his entry into professional illustration. By 1960, he contributed regularly to Punch magazine, creating satirical cartoons and multiple cover designs until 1962, including on-the-spot sketches of the rebuilt Berlin Wall. These works established his signature style of exaggerated, grotesque caricatures targeting public figures and events. From 1962 onward, Scarfe provided illustrations for , a satirical fortnightly known for irreverent political commentary, which amplified his reputation for provocative content that often provoked public backlash. His contributions included caricatures of politicians and celebrities, such as , aligning with the magazine's ethos. In 1966, Scarfe became a political for the , followed by his appointment as editorial for in 1967, a position he maintained for over 50 years until 2017. For , he produced weekly caricatures critiquing British and international leaders, often depicting them in distorted, monstrous forms to highlight perceived flaws or hypocrisies. Notable among these was his 1966 portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, the first openly satirical depiction of the monarch by a since the , which drew significant controversy. Scarfe also supplied cover illustrations for Time magazine, including a caricature of The Beatles during their peak popularity in the 1960s. Additional outlets included the Evening Standard and The New Yorker, where his biting satire extended to American political figures and cultural icons. Throughout, his magazine work emphasized unsparing visual commentary, prioritizing artistic exaggeration over restraint, as evidenced by recurring motifs of decay and aggression in his depictions of power.

Political Satire and Caricatures

Editorial Work and Targets

Scarfe established his editorial career in political satire during the early 1960s, contributing caricatures to Punch magazine from 1960 to 1962 and to Private Eye, where he targeted politicians and social issues with grotesque exaggerations. By 1967, he joined The Sunday Times as its primary political cartoonist, a role he held for over 50 years until 2017, producing weekly illustrations that critiqued contemporary leaders and policies through distorted, visceral imagery emphasizing flaws in character and abuse of power. He later contributed political cartoons to The New Yorker for 15 years, extending his reach to American audiences. His primary targets spanned British and international figures, often focusing on those in positions of authority during pivotal events. In the UK, was a frequent subject from her rise in the through her premiership (1979–1990), with Scarfe depicting her in over 100 caricatures, including the iconic "Torydactyl" from his 1982 book Scarfeland, portraying her as a predatory pterodactyl to symbolize her aggressive conservatism; this image was exhibited at the Tate Gallery and reflected his consistent portrayal of her as unyielding and fearsome. Other British politicians, such as , , and , faced similar treatments highlighting perceived weaknesses or hypocrisies. Internationally, Scarfe targeted U.S. leaders prominently, including during the and (1969–1974), rendering him with scatological distortions such as jowls and nose likened to genitalia to underscore corruption. appeared in a 1973 caricature amid U.S. foreign policy debates. Later works included , , and , as well as figures like and , maintaining his focus on leaders accused of misusing authority across decades. These selections prioritized high-profile incumbents whose actions aligned with Scarfe's themes of power's distorting effects, drawn from direct observation and news coverage rather than partisan alignment.

Major Controversies

One of Gerald Scarfe's most prominent controversies arose from a cartoon published in The Sunday Times on January 27, 2013, coinciding with Israeli elections. The image depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu constructing a wall using bricks made from bleeding Palestinian bodies, with the caption "Israeli elections: Will cementing peace continue?" Critics, including the Israeli embassy and British Jewish organizations, condemned it for invoking antisemitic blood libel imagery and perpetuating tropes of Jews as bloodthirsty, arguing it went beyond legitimate political critique. The Sunday Times acting editor issued an apology on January 29, 2013, describing the cartoon as "grotesque and offensive" and stating it should not have been published on Memorial Day, though Scarfe had not intended that timing. , owner of the newspaper, echoed this on , affirming that Scarfe's work did not reflect the paper's views and labeling the image offensive. The Board of Deputies of met with Ivens, expressing concerns over the cartoon's insensitivity, while some defenders, including cartoonists, argued it targeted Netanyahu's settlement policies rather than broadly. Scarfe defended the work as standard aimed at Netanyahu's actions, stating in interviews that he did not intend and had previously caricatured Israeli leaders without such backlash; he emphasized his grotesque style critiques power abuses universally, not ethnic groups. He rejected comparisons to historical antisemitic imagery, noting the cartoon focused on policy violence rather than religious hatred, though the episode highlighted tensions between artistic intent and perceived offense in . Earlier works also sparked debate, such as a 1966 cartoon portraying Queen Elizabeth II riding a tethered symbolizing a constrained Britain, which drew royal and public ire for perceived disrespect to the . Similarly, a 1964 depiction of as a figure provoked accusations of undermining national heroes shortly after his death, underscoring Scarfe's career-long pattern of using exaggeration to challenge authority, often at the cost of controversy.

Musical Collaborations

Partnership with Pink Floyd

Gerald Scarfe's professional relationship with Pink Floyd began in 1974, initiated after band members Roger Waters and Nick Mason viewed his animated short film A Long Drawn Out Trip, a psychedelic depiction of an LSD experience broadcast on BBC television. This led to Scarfe's first commission for the band: a comic-style caricature of the members as the center spread in the program for their 1974 UK and US tour, supporting the forthcoming album Wish You Were Here. The collaboration expanded into animations for live performances during the 1977 "In the Flesh" tour promoting Animals, where Scarfe's grotesque, exaggerated visuals aligned with the album's themes of societal critique, including sequences depicting the band's animal metaphors. Scarfe's involvement during the Animals era marked a shift from static illustrations to dynamic projections, enhancing the band's stage productions with his signature style of distorted human forms and surreal imagery. The partnership reached its peak with project, starting in 1978 when Scarfe collaborated directly with Waters on conceptual designs. For the 1979 , Scarfe created character designs, including the iconic marching hammers and schoolmaster figures, and contributed to the sleeve artwork. In 1980, during the band's elaborate tour, his animations—such as the inflating flowers from "In the Flesh?" and the courtroom sequence—were projected onto the stage's massive wall, synchronizing with the narrative of isolation and breakdown. Scarfe served as for the 1982 film adaptation directed by , producing storyboards, additional animations, and overseeing visual elements that amplified the album's psychological themes. Scarfe reunited with Waters in the 2010s for the solo The Wall Live tour (2010–2013), designing updated inflatables like the Teacher and Mother figures and new projections to refresh the visuals for contemporary audiences. This enduring association, spanning over four decades, leveraged Scarfe's satirical edge to visually interpret Pink Floyd's conceptual rock, though later works were primarily with Waters post-band acrimony.

Animations for The Wall

Gerald Scarfe directed the animated sequences for the 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall, contributing roughly 15 minutes of runtime through hand-drawn cel animation that visualized the album's themes of alienation, trauma, and totalitarian control via nightmarish, satirical imagery. Working with a team of up to 40 animators, Scarfe oversaw the creation of over 10,000 full-color paintings at a rate of 12 frames per second for standard motion, rising to 24 for fluid sequences, a process that demanded months of labor per segment. These animations, adapted and expanded from projections used in Pink Floyd's 1980–1981 live tour, were projected onto the stage wall via multiple synchronized projectors before integration into the film's narrative under Scarfe's creative control. Prominent sequences included the marching hammers—symbolizing mechanical and —featured in tracks like "In the Flesh?" and "Waiting for the Worms," where rigid figures trample fields in lockstep formation. Other visuals encompassed grotesque floral copulation in "," morphing from innocent blooms into aggressive, sexually explicit forms to evoke repressed desires turning destructive; a human mincer and maze for "," illustrating institutional ; and visceral depictions of crushed skulls, executions, and fascist rallies underscoring psychological breakdown. Scarfe collaborated closely with , interpreting the musician's concepts—such as hammers as emblems of authoritarian rigidity—while directing the sequences to maintain narrative cohesion amid production tensions with film director . The animations' exaggerated style, drawing from Scarfe's background in , amplified the 's abstract exploration of and isolation, with elements like the flowers sequence—originally tour footage—praised for their raw intensity despite the exhaustive hand-crafted effort, where individual frames could require up to two days. This work solidified Scarfe's role in Pink Floyd's visual identity, blending visceral horror with symbolic depth to mirror the protagonist Pink's mental disintegration.

Broader Artistic Projects

Film and Television Animations

Scarfe created the animated A Long Drawn Out Trip in 1973, a psychedelic hand-drawn work critiquing American culture through depictions of icons such as and the , produced during a BBC project in . The film incorporated elements of with its use of branded imagery, limiting its distribution to a single broadcast. From 1980 to 1987, Scarfe designed the opening animated title sequences and end-credit illustrations for the sitcoms (1980–1984) and Yes, Prime Minister (1986–1988), employing stop-motion techniques to satirize British political . These sequences featured exaggerated caricatures of civil servants and politicians, aligning with Scarfe's signature style. In 1997, Scarfe served as for Disney's animated feature , developing conceptual artwork and over 700 character visualizations that influenced the film's mythological aesthetic and character designs, drawing from directors and John Musker's admiration for his caricatural approach. His contributions emphasized bold, exaggerated forms suited to the film's comedic tone, marking a departure from his typical into mainstream commercial .

Theater Designs and Public Commissions

Scarfe designed sets and costumes for the English National Opera's production of Orpheus in the Underworld in 1985, infusing the work with his characteristic satirical edge through exaggerated, grotesque elements that amplified the opera's comedic critique of society. He extended this approach to ballet with sets and costumes for Christopher Hampson's The Nutcracker in 2002 for the English National Ballet, reinterpreting the classic tale in a dark, modern style featuring oversized, whimsical yet menacing props like a pile of chocolate and eccentric character designs that departed from traditional sentimentality. In opera, Scarfe contributed sets and costumes to Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Los Angeles Opera, drawing on Roald Dahl's source material to create anthropomorphic animal figures and rural landscapes rendered in bold, caricatured forms. He also designed for productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Los Angeles Opera and Seattle Opera, employing monumental architectural elements such as a giant bisected pyramid to evoke the opera's themes of enlightenment and illusion. Additional theater work included designs for Born Again at the Chichester Festival Theatre, where his visuals supported the play's exploration of religious and personal transformation. For public commissions, Scarfe created large-scale sculptures for the in in 2000, installed in the 'Self-Portrait Zone' to satirize contemporary British social ills, including pieces addressing , , television addiction, and through distorted, larger-than-life human forms in and other media. These works marked his shift toward three-dimensional , extending his style into immersive, site-specific commentary visible to thousands of visitors during the Dome's operation.

Publications and Exhibitions

Books and Written Works

Scarfe has authored and illustrated numerous books featuring collections of his satirical caricatures, political cartoons, and conceptual artwork, often accompanied by personal commentary on his creative process and inspirations. These publications span decades, reflecting his career in editorial illustration and collaborations with musicians and filmmakers. His written contributions typically provide contextual narratives rather than extensive prose, emphasizing the visual impact of his grotesque, exaggerated style. One of his earliest significant compilations, Scarfe Land: A Lost World of Fabulous Beasts and Monsters, published in 1989 by Hamish Hamilton, showcases Scarfe's fantastical illustrations of mythical creatures and monsters, blending whimsy with his characteristic distortion for humorous effect. The book presents a portfolio of original drawings without heavy narrative, allowing the imagery to evoke a surreal, alternate world. In 2005, Scarfe released Drawing Blood: Forty Five Years of Scarfe Uncensored, a comprehensive retrospective through Little, Brown Book Group, chronicling his career from the 1960s onward with over 400 pages of uncensored cartoons targeting politicians, celebrities, and social issues. The volume includes autobiographical reflections on commissions for outlets like The Sunday Times and The New Yorker, highlighting his technique of amplifying human flaws through caricature. It sold steadily and remains a key reference for his editorial output. Scarfe expanded this self-examination in Scarfe: Sixty Years of Being Rude (2019, Little, Brown), an updated 576-page edition building on with additional decades of work, including rare sketches and insights into his longevity in amid shifting cultural norms. The book features essays on specific targets like —depicted as the "Torydactyl"—and underscores his commitment to unfiltered critique, with sales bolstered by limited signed editions. Tied to his musical collaborations, The Making of Pink Floyd: The Wall (2010, ) documents Scarfe's visual contributions to the album and film, incorporating sketches, storyboards, and photographs from 1974 to the 2010 tour. Foreword by , it details the evolution of iconic imagery like the marching hammers and the Wall's symbolic barriers, serving as both and production for the project that defined much of his animation legacy. More recently, Disney's Hercules: The Art of Gerald Scarfe (2025, Insight Editions), a 336-page volume released on , draws from Scarfe's personal to explore his production design for the 1997 animated film. It includes previously unpublished character designs, for gods and monsters, and anecdotes on adapting his style to Disney's family-oriented constraints while retaining elements in figures like . The book weighs in at 1.3 kg, emphasizing high-fidelity reproductions for collectors.
TitlePublication YearPublisherFocus
Scarfe Land: A Lost World of Fabulous Beasts and Monsters1989Fantastical illustrations of beasts
Drawing Blood: Forty Five Years of Scarfe Uncensored2005Little, BrownCareer retrospective of caricatures
The Making of Pink Floyd: The Wall2010Pink Floyd collaboration visuals
Scarfe: Sixty Years of Being Rude2019Little, BrownExpanded satirical oeuvre
Disney's Hercules: The Art of Gerald Scarfe2025Insight EditionsFilm production design archive

Galleries and Auctions

Scarfe's artworks have been exhibited in various institutions and galleries, showcasing his satirical cartoons, illustrations, and designs for stage and screen. In 1995, the Bess Cutler Gallery in New York hosted an exhibition featuring original animation cels and drawings from , in collaboration with . More recently, in 2019, The Beaney in displayed over 100 works in "Gerald Scarfe – Stage and Screen," including preliminary sketches, storyboards, set designs, photographs, and costumes from his contributions to theater, opera, ballet, and film. A variation of these stage and screen designs appeared at an exhibition in opening in 2025. His portrait works are also held in collections such as the National Portrait Gallery in . Scarfe's original artworks are available for purchase through his official website, which offers commissions including works on paper and bespoke oil paintings, alongside signed prints. At auction, Scarfe's pieces have fetched prices ranging from approximately $13 to $73,478, with sales occurring at houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, and others. A landmark event was Sotheby's April 5, 2017, sale—the first major auction of material from his archive—featuring over 130 original drawings, including political caricatures of figures like Winston Churchill, portraits of Mick Jagger and Queen Elizabeth II, cartoons from Private Eye and The Sunday Times, and designs for Pink Floyd's The Wall. The sale was preceded by a public exhibition at Sotheby's New Bond Street saleroom from April 1–4, 2017. Notable individual sales include a depiction of Margaret Thatcher at Christie's for £4,200 and "The Teacher" (a menacing figure) at Wallace & Hodgson for £22,500, exceeding its top estimate by two and a half times. Pink Floyd-related works, such as "The Flowers" oil on canvas from The Wall, have also appeared at Sotheby's. Overall, 449 of his artworks have come to auction, predominantly in the United Kingdom.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Scarfe met actress in 1971. The couple married on September 13, 1981, and have remained together since. They have three children: daughter Katie Scarfe, born April 17, 1974, who works as an actress and director; son Alexander Scarfe, born in December 1981; and son Rory Scarfe, born in 1984. The family resides in .

Later Years and Reflections

In his later career, Scarfe maintained an active studio practice, producing new works into his eighties and beyond. He collaborated with on updated designs, including inflatables, for the 2010–2013 tour of , extending his iconic contributions to the project. In 2014, he created a series of large-scale oil paintings depicting political figures for Scarfes Bar at the hotel, blending with . Scarfe continued exhibitions and honors into the 2020s. In March 2023, he mounted a solo show at the in Krems, , where he received the Erich Sokol Prize for his lifetime achievements in . He also prepared a book compiling his conceptual artwork for Disney's (1997), highlighting previously unseen designs from that project. As recently as September 2025, Scarfe shared progress on a new oil-on-canvas piece inspired by Pink Floyd's , demonstrating ongoing engagement with his most famous collaboration. In his 2019 autobiography, Long Drawn Out Trip: An Artist's Journey, Scarfe reflected on how childhood and isolation—confining him to bed for years—fostered his grotesque style as a means of exorcising personal fears and critiquing power. He emphasized caricature's role in pursuing truth over , arguing that artists must avoid falsifying reality to remain honest to themselves and history. Scarfe has described his persistent output as driven by an intrinsic need to draw daily, viewing not as malice but as revelation of human flaws, particularly in politicians whom he found resilient to caricature's barbs.

Awards and Critical Assessment

Honors Conferred

Gerald Scarfe was appointed Commander of the (CBE) in the on June 14, 2008, in recognition of his services to as a and caricaturist. In 2006, Scarfe received the British Press Award for Cartoonist of the Year, honoring his contributions to and illustration in publications such as . Scarfe earned the Laurence Olivier Award in 1994 for Best Set Designer and Best Costume Designer for his work on the theatrical production An Absolute Turkey (original French title Le Dindon), a farce adapted for the stage. He was also awarded a BAFTA for his autobiographical Gerald Scarfe's in 1976, acknowledging his innovative style in film. In 2017, Scarfe received an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, citing his influence on contemporary illustration and design.

Legacy and Influence

Gerald Scarfe's satirical caricatures, characterized by exaggerated, grotesque distortions and sharp linework, have left a lasting mark on British political cartooning by reviving traditions of aggressive visual insult dating back to artists like William Hogarth and James Gillray. His depictions of political figures, often portraying them as monstrous or deformed to highlight perceived flaws, emphasized unsparing critique over subtlety, influencing a generation of cartoonists to prioritize visceral impact in commentary on power and hypocrisy. For instance, his 1980s portrayals of Margaret Thatcher as a demonic figure exemplified this approach, signaling a broader resurgence in confrontational graphic satire amid shifting political climates. In and , Scarfe's contributions to Pink Floyd's projects established a template for integrating dark, surreal into rock performances and films. His animations for the 1982 film , including sequences of marching hammers and predatory schoolmasters, drew from his political style to amplify themes of alienation and authoritarianism, achieving iconic status with over 30 million viewers worldwide by the film's 40th anniversary in 2019. This collaboration, spanning tour backdrops from 1974 onward and album artwork, bridged with , inspiring subsequent artists in to employ bold, narrative-driven visuals. Scarfe's influence extends to institutional recognition of caricature as a serious medium, with his works featured in major auctions and exhibitions that underscore their cultural endurance. Sotheby's 2017 sale of his archive highlighted how his unflinching on events from the to maintained relevance, fetching prices reflecting collector interest in politically charged art. While direct imitators are less documented, his peer status alongside and emphasis on authenticity over falsification have encouraged cartoonists to view as a tool for preserving unvarnished societal critique.

References

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