Nicholas Garland was born in Hampstead, London, the son of doctor Thomas Garland and sculptor/artist Peggy Garland. The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1946, when Nicholas was eleven. He returned to England in 1954 to study at the Slade School of Fine Art, graduating in 1957. After spending some six years as stage manager/director and designer at the Royal Court Theatre, Garland had his first drawing (a caricature) published in the magazine Queen. He soon afterwards began contributing illustrations to the arts pages of The Spectator. Through theatrical connections, Garland met comedian Peter Cook, and began an association with Private Eye. In 1964, Garland began collaborating with Barry Humphries (q.v.) on a comic strip called 'Barry McKenzie.' They continued to produce the series up until 1974. Two films featuring the character were subsequently made: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) and Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974). During this period, Garland also worked for the Daily Telegraph (as the paper's first political cartoonist) and, between 1971 and 1976, drew a weekly political cartoon for the New Statesman. He also contributed to The Spectator.
In 1986, Garland left the Daily Telegraph to be one of the founders of The Independent. But at the end of 1990, he decided to return to the Daily Telegraph, displacing George Gale, who had been brought in as his replacement. Garland has also drawn cartoons for the Investor's Chronicle and designed book jackets. Among his published works are a collection of comics from Private Eye, published in 1968 as The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie (the book was banned in Australia until 1971), Bazza Pulls it Off: More Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1971), Bazza Comes into His Own (1979), and The Complete Barry McKenzie (1988).
[Source: University of Kent British Cartoon Archive, sighted 25 September 2009]
