So many Andys: bizarre sculpture for children's author
An eye‑catching new sculpture has taken centre stage at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, turning the celebrated children’s author into a literal multiple. The work shows a hand cradling a line of ever‑smaller figures of Andy Griffiths, while another miniature Andy peers down from a leafy branch – a playful nod to the author’s own wildly imaginative worlds.
The piece is the latest commission from Dutch‑Australian artist Ronnie van Hout, whose practice often blurs the line between portraiture and absurdity. Van Hout explained that the work reflects the way Griffiths multiplies his humor across dozens of books, each one a new version of the same mischievous voice.
Griffiths, the 2026 Children’s Laureate, has sold somewhere between 20 and 25 million copies of titles such as the Treehouse series, the JUST! books and The Day My Bum Went Psycho. His collaborations with the late illustrator Terry Denton have become cultural touchstones for a generation of readers.
The sculpture opens the exhibition “Brainstorm: Inside the mind of Andy Griffiths”, which assembles more than 130 objects from the author’s personal collection. Together, the installation and the archive celebrate the exuberant energy of contemporary children’s literature while quietly reminding visitors of the ongoing fight to keep school libraries thriving.