About Ralph Steadman
Ralph Steadman’s career spans an extraordinary seven decades. His artwork was first published in the Manchester Evening Chronicle in 1956 and his satirical cartoons first appeared in Punch and Private Eye in the 1960s. In 1970, he met Hunter S. Thompson and created the iconic artwork for the Kentucky Derby and later Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; this marked the start of a lifelong collaboration, pioneering Gonzo journalism.
Amid illustrating classics including Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (1967) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (1985), he has also written and illustrated his own books such as I Leonardo (1983) and The Big I Am (1988), as well as many children’s works, designed theatre sets, such as for the Royal Opera House’s The Crucible (2000), and provided drawings for three books on extinct and endangered creatures.
Steadman is still listed as Gardening Correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine, a hangover from his Gonzo days. His uniquely savage ‘inky, blotty style’ remains sought after - from Breaking Bad box sets to fashion collaborations with Nike, Vans and, more recently, Alexander McQueen – as he continues to influence artists around the world.