Art You Grew Up With
Art You Grew Up With is a United Kingdom-based specialist art company and fine-art publisher focused on animation, character, comic, music, film, pop and fine art.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Art You Grew Up With is a United Kingdom-based specialist art company founded in 1995 by Russell Singler. Its business combines gallery retail, art publishing and distribution, with a particular emphasis on artwork connected to familiar characters, popular entertainment and widely recognized cultural properties. The company’s name reflects its focus on imagery that audiences encountered during childhood or through mainstream popular culture, rather than on an exclusively traditional fine-art repertoire. The business began as an individual gallery called the Animation Art Gallery near Oxford Circus in London. It later relocated to County Hall, where it operated in connection with the London Film Museum. During this period, its fine-art publishing activities expanded, and the business developed into Art You Grew Up With. The company subsequently supplied work to galleries internationally, extending beyond its original London gallery format into a broader publishing and distribution operation. Its stated range covered animation art, comic art, music art, film art, pop art and fine art. This breadth allowed the company to serve collectors interested in both original and character-based artwork. Rather than being limited to one medium or one entertainment franchise, Art You Grew Up With presented a cross-category selection built around recognizable visual culture and licensed or published art editions. The company was described as the official fine-art publisher for a number of well-known character properties, including the Mr Men, Mr Benn, Paddington Bear, Beano and Dandy, SpongeBob SquarePants and Noddy. It also brought Sesame Street characters such as Elmo and Grover, along with other members of the Sesame Street cast, into the fine-art market. These publishing relationships positioned the company between entertainment licensing and the specialist art trade, translating established characters into collectible art products. Retail expansion included showrooms at Selfridges in London and House of Fraser in Manchester. A Birmingham showroom was also planned for November 2011, illustrating the company’s effort at that time to combine department-store presence with its gallery and publishing activities. The business and its predecessor gallery received media coverage from BBC News, BBC Radio 4, The Guardian and the online edition of The Daily Telegraph. Russell Singler was identified as both the founder and the continuing owner and operator in the available reference material. Beyond that ownership information, details about corporate structure, current management, financial performance, exact operating locations and present-day trading status are not established by the supplied sources. Accordingly, the company’s contemporary status and current showroom network require verification.
History
Art You Grew Up With was established in the United Kingdom in 1995 by Russell Singler. The business originated as the Animation Art Gallery, an individual gallery located near Oxford Circus in London. Its initial identity was closely associated with animation-related artwork, but its activities broadened after the gallery moved to County Hall at the London Film Museum. The County Hall period was significant because the company expanded its fine-art publishing arm. As publishing became a larger part of the operation, the business adopted the Art You Grew Up With name and developed beyond a single specialist gallery. Its offering combined art connected with animation and popular characters with wider categories such as comics, music, film, pop art and fine art. The company’s model therefore included both direct gallery retail and the creation or supply of artwork for other galleries. Art You Grew Up With became associated with character-based and licensed fine-art publishing. It was described as the official fine-art publisher for properties including the Mr Men, Mr Benn, Paddington Bear, Beano and Dandy, SpongeBob SquarePants and Noddy. It also introduced Sesame Street characters, including Elmo and Grover, to the fine-art market. These activities placed the business at the intersection of intellectual-property licensing, popular-culture merchandising and the collector-oriented art market. The company expanded its physical retail presence through showrooms at Selfridges in London and House of Fraser in Manchester. A further showroom in Birmingham was scheduled to open in November 2011. At the same time, the company supplied work to galleries on a global scale, indicating an international distribution role alongside its United Kingdom retail operations. The company and the Animation Art Gallery were covered by several prominent British media outlets, including BBC News, BBC Radio 4, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph online. The available account identifies Russell Singler as the continuing owner and operator. It does not provide sufficient information about later ownership, current locations, financial results, corporate registration, or whether all of the historical showrooms and publishing relationships remain active. The present status of the business should therefore be independently checked.
- 2011
Birmingham showroom planned
[1]A new showroom was scheduled to open in Birmingham in November 2011.
- 1995
Company founded
[1]Russell Singler founded the business that later became Art You Grew Up With.
Animation Art Gallery opens near Oxford Circus
[1]The operation began as an individual gallery known as the Animation Art Gallery near Oxford Circus in London.
Gallery relocates to County Hall
[1]The gallery moved to County Hall at the London Film Museum, where its fine-art publishing activities expanded.
Business develops into Art You Grew Up With
[1]Expansion of the publishing arm accompanied the transition from the Animation Art Gallery identity to Art You Grew Up With.
London and Manchester showroom expansion
[1]Showrooms opened at Selfridges in London and House of Fraser in Manchester.
Products and positioning
A specialist art retailer and publisher translating familiar animation, comic, film, music and children's-character properties into collectible fine-art and gallery products.
Art category
Animation art
Animation art was the company’s original specialization through the Animation Art Gallery, the predecessor operation established near Oxford Circus. The category formed the foundation for the later business and remained part of its broader selection of popular-culture and character-based artwork.
Fine-art publishing
Licensed character fine art
Art You Grew Up With published fine art based on familiar entertainment and children's characters. The documented portfolio included the Mr Men, Mr Benn, Paddington Bear, Beano and Dandy, SpongeBob SquarePants, Noddy and Sesame Street characters such as Elmo and Grover.
Popular-culture art
Comic, film, music and pop art
The company’s wider catalogue covered comic art, music art, film art and pop art. These categories extended its offer beyond animation and children's characters, giving galleries and collectors access to artwork connected with several forms of mainstream visual and entertainment culture.
Recent events
Art You Grew Up With and the Animation Art Gallery receive media coverage[1]
Other
The company and its predecessor gallery were reported or featured by BBC News, BBC Radio 4, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph online.
Sources1 sources
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