All photographs and art work © The Hoffnung Partnership. Please respect this copyright. .

Twenty years ago, Dr Sheila Paine of London University's Institute of Education, excited by the discovery of the existence of an extensive accumulation of Hoffnung's childhood drawings, selected 220 of these cartoons, which the university mounted and framed. All had been meticulously kept and dated by his devoted mother and provide a fascinating insight into Gerard's artistic and humorous development from the age of five. Entitled Young Hoffnung and with the support of explanatory text and photographic enlargements, the exhibition is all-engrossing. It is shown, when space allows, alongside the Hoffnung Exhibition and sometimes independently.

Drawing by the young Hoffnung, 1932, aged 7 years.

A great future beckoned Gerard in September 1959: a concert planned for the forthcoming Berlin Festival, a proposed tour of the States, a series of programmes for television, the last of his little books of humorous cartoons about to be published. But this was not to be, for suddenly one day in September 1959, without warning, he collapsed in his study. Two hours later without recovering consciousness, he died as a result of the cerebral haemorrhage from which he had suffered.

With so much crammed into his 34 years, it is not surprising that his work continues to give pleasure, even now nearly forty years since his death. Plans are at this moment in hand to establish a Hoffnung Museum in central London, encapsulating under one roof Gerard Hoffnung's complete outpouring of genius. If this project is fulfilled, the museum will provide a rare entertainment for the nation and tourists alike, as those who have already enjoyed his exhibitions have been quick to discover. Watch this space!

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