REVIEW: Astonishing Things - the Drawings of Victor Hugo

We popped into this show, tucked away in the Sackler Galleries of the Royal Academy without expecting it to be suitable for kids. However, with a bit of adult input, we think it could really inspire young imaginations.

The Cheerful Castle

Victor Hugo, the giant of French letters was also a constant doodler. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the drawings that came from the pen of the creator of Les Mis are full of stories. Whether it is an industrious spider, the spiral steps up to the Lighthouse, the strange bulging mushroom over the streets of Paris, or the swirling tentacles of the Octopus, they all invite the viewer to look and ask, what happened here?

Whether your kids use words or pictures to tell their stories, this darkly atmospheric exhibition will spark their imaginations to get creative.

Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo Royal Academy of Arts 21 March–29 June. Tickets: £17 adults, U16s free.

Emily Turner