Olympia Auctions special event raises over £1,150 for WLAC

Journalist, author and broadcaster Libby Purves OBE was in conversation with Stephanie and Claire Calman, the daughters of Mel Calman (1931 – 1994), the greatly accomplished, successful and irreplaceable cartoonist who worked for The Daily Express, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, The Times and Sunday Times between 1957 and 1994, and founded the Cartoon Art Trust.  He is best known for his ‘little man’ pocket cartoons at The Times and The Sunday Times. Olympia Auctions hosted the largest collection of his work to be sold at an exhibition since his death at the age of 62, and kindly offered to put on this very special event to raise funds for WLAC. 

Stephanie is a screenwriter and best-selling author and her sister Claire is a poet, writer and broadcaster. They discussed their fond memories of their father and their exhibition of his work entitled ‘Mel Calman on Love, Rage and Neurosis’. It was a wonderful evening with the masterful Libby Purves chairing the conversation with Mel’s daughters.  They discussed Calman’s difficult childhood as an evacuee in Cambridge, his experience during National Service, an early rejection from Punch and how his career took off.  Talk included details of his family life as a devoted father drawing on the walls of his children’s bedroom, and a complicated love life with bouts of depression.  Stephanie and Claire were eloquent and engaging and there wasn’t a dull moment!  

A big THANK YOU to Antonia Grace from Events, Press & Marketing for her expert organisational skills, and everyone at Olympia Auctions for hosting this event.  Our thanks also go to Libby Purves, and Stephanie and Claire Calman for volunteering their time, as well as the WLAC Brook Green Events Committee.  Together they raised an impressive £1,158 for WLAC.