Art gallery for Dennis the Menace

Artist John Reynolds was inspired by an Andy Warhol classic Enlarge Image

Beano comic strip hero Dennis the Menace has been made the star of his own art exhibition.

The iconic cartoon character has even been given the Andy Warhol treatment by artist John Patrick Reynolds.

He secured the licence to reproduce original Dennis the Menace images taken from the Beano, for the exhibition.

The display, at the London Print Studio in west London, also features the first ever Dennis the Menace cartoon strip from 1951.

'Dramatic pictures'

Reynolds has created a series of giant screenprints featuring the schoolboy terror in his famous red and black stripy jumper.

He said: "Dennis is a gift to the printmaker - the horizontal red and black bars of his jumper, the exploding hair, the simple outlines and the speech bubbles all make for dramatic pictures.

"Of course, Dennis is a national icon, so what he says in the speech bubbles take on a kind of symbolic power."

Studio director John Phillips said: "Dennis the Menace is Britain's unofficial national mascot. It's only fitting that he takes centre stage in an art gallery."

The exhibition ends on 2 July.