Frank fans pay tribute in art

An exhibition of artwork inspired by Frank Sidebottom is to be staged at Salford University.

And – unlike the window displays at Selfridges – these tributes have been backed by the family and friends of Sidebottom’s creator, Chris Sievey.

Fans have submitted doodles, papier-mache heads, full-blown animation and even scarecrows to the Frankophilia! exhibition.

Curator Suzanne Smith said: ‘The show is hilarious and touching in equal measures.  We may not have known the man behind the mask, but we loved what he did.  Frankophilia! is a way for people to say thank you.’

The exhibition is being backed by the Frank Sidebottom Statue Committee which is raising funds to erect a permanent statue of the papier-mache-headed entertainer in his beloved Timperley, following Sievey’s death in June at the age of 54.

Gemma Woods, Chris’s partner, welcomed the tributes, sayinh: ‘Chris was ours but Frank was everybody's.’

The exhibition was announced the day after Selfridges paid out £10,000 to Sievey's estate after using mannequins bearing uncanny resemblance to Sidebottom without permission.

Frankophilia! will be staged at the Chapman Gallery at the University of Salford from November 17 until December 18.

Published: 3 Nov 2010