Tomi Ungerer
| Tomi Ungerer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jean-Thomas Ungerer November 28, 1931 Strasbourg, France |
| Occupation | Artist, illustrator, writer |
| Nationality | French/German |
| Alma mater | Municipal School for Decorative Arts (Strasbourg) |
| Period | 1957–present |
| Genres | Children's picture books, erotic literature |
| Notable work(s) |
|
| Notable award(s) | Legion d'Honneur France [citation needed] Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration 1998 |
| Relative(s) | Theodore Ungerer (father) Alice Ungerer (mother) Bernard (brother) Edith (sister) Vivette (sister) |
Jean-Thomas "Tomi" Ungerer (born 28 November 1931)[1] is a French illustrator and a trilingual writer. He has published over 140 books ranging from his much loved children's books to his controversial adult work. He is famous for his sharp social satire and his witty aphorisms and he ranges from the fantastic to the autobiographical.
Ungerer received the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 1998, recognizing his "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Contents |
Biography [edit]
Tomi Ungerer was born in Strasbourg, France, the youngest of four children of Alice (Essler) and Theo Ungerer.[2][3] The family moved to Logelbach, near Colmar, after the death of Tomi's father, Theodore — an artist, engineer, and astronomical clock manufacturer — in 1936. Ungerer also lived through the German occupation of Alsace and the requisitioning of the family home by the Wehrmacht.
As a young man, Ungerer was inspired by the illustrations appearing in The New Yorker magazine, particularly the work of Saul Steinberg.[4])[5] Ungerer moved to the United States in 1956. The following year, he published his first children's book for Harper & Row, The Mellops Go Flying. He also did illustration work for such publications as The New York Times, Esquire, Life, Harper's Bazaar, The Village Voice,[5] and for television during this time, and began to create posters denouncing the Vietnam War.
Upon the publication of Ungerer's children's book Moon Man in 1966, Maurice Sendak called it "easily one of the best picture books in recent years."[6]
After Allumette; A Fable, with Due Respect to Hans Christian Andersen, the Grimm Brothers, and the Honorable Ambrose Bierce in 1974, he ceased writing children's books, focusing instead on adult-level books, many of which focused on sexuality. He eventually returned to children's literature with Flix 1998. Ungerer donated many of the manuscripts and artwork for his early children’s books to the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia.[7]
In 1998, Ungerer was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration.
One consistent theme in Ungerer's illustrations has been his support for European construction, beginning with Franco-German reconciliation in his home region of Alsace, and in particular European values of tolerance and diversity. In 2003, he was named Ambassador for Childhood and Education by the 47-nation Council of Europe.
In 2007, his home town dedicated a museum to him, the Musée Tomi Ungerer/Centre international de l’illustration.[6]
Ungerer currently divides his time between Ireland (where he and his wife moved in 1976),[8] and Strasbourg.[6] In addition to his work as a graphic artist and 'drawer', he is also a designer, toy collector and "archivist of human absurdity."[6]
Overview of work [edit]
Tomi Ungerer describes himself first and foremost as a story teller and satirist. Prevalent themes in his work include political satire such as drawings and posters against the Vietnam War and against animal cruelty, eroticism, and imaginative subjects for children's books.
Bibliography [edit]
Children's books [edit]
- The Mellops Go Flying (1957)
- Mellops Go Diving for Treasure (1957)
- Crictor (1958)
- The Mellops Strike Oil (1958)
- Adelaide (1959)
- Christmas Eve at the Mellops (1960)
- Emile (1960)
- Rufus (1961)
- The Three Robbers (1961)
- Snail, Where Are You? (1962)
- Mellops Go Spelunking (1963)
- Flat Stanley (1964) — art by Tomi Ungerer, written by Jeff Brown
- One, Two, Where's My Shoe? (1964)
- Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls (1964) — art by Tomi Ungerer, poems collected by William Cole[disambiguation needed]
- Oh, What Nonsense! (1966) — art by Tomi Ungerer, edited by William Cole
- Orlando, the Brave Vulture (1966)
- Warwick's Three Bottles (1966) – with André Hodeir
- Cleopatra Goes Sledding (1967) – with André Hodeir
- What's Good for a 4-Year-Old? (1967) — art by Tomi Ungerer, text by William Cole
- Moon Man (Der Mondmann) (Diogenes Verlag AG Zürich, 1966)
- Zeralda's Ogre (1967)
- Ask Me a Question (1968)
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1969) — text by Barbara Hazen
- Oh, How Silly! (1970) — art by Tomi Ungerer, edited by William Cole
- The Hat (1970)
- I Am Papa Snap and These Are My Favorite No Such Stories (1971)
- The Beast of Monsieur Racine (1971)
- The Hut (1972)
- Oh, That's Ridiculous! (1972) — art by Tomi Ungerer, edited by William Cole
- No Kiss for Mother (1973)
- Allumette; A Fable, with Due Respect to Hans Christian Andersen, the Grimm Brothers, and the Honorable Ambrose Bierce (1974)
- Tomi Ungerer's Heidi: The Classic Novel (1997) — art by Tomi Ungerer, text by Johanna Spyri
- Flix (1998)
- Tortoni Tremelo the Cursed Musician (1998)
- Otto: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear (1999)
- Zloty (2009)
Adult books [edit]
|
|
List of exhibitions [edit]
- Berlin, 1962. Posters against racism and the Vietnam War
Other works [edit]
- Design of Dr. Strangelove film poster (1964)
- Design of the logo for the ill-fated Broadway musical Kelly (1965)
- Design of the Janus Aqueduct in Strasbourg (1988)
Quotes [edit]
- "If people were brave enough to live out their erotic fantasies, pornography would disappear altogether. I've always believed that eroticism, even more than sensuality, is a form of liberation." — Erotoscope[citation needed]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ tomiunger.com, Official Site
- ^ Ungerer, Tomi Tomi: A Childhood under the Nazis 1998 Roberts Rinehart Publishing Group, Colorado ISBN 1-57098163-9
- ^ [1]
- ^ Ungerer profile, Lambiek's Comiclopedia.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Randy. "Tomi Ungerer Returns," New York Times (July 27, 2008).
- ^ a b c d Author bio, Moon Man (Phaidon Press Limited, 2009).
- ^ P. Adrienne. "Happy Birthday, Tomi Ungerer!, Free Library Blog (Nov. 26, 2010).
- ^ "Tomi Ungerer – Biography". Official website. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
External links [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tomi Ungerer |
- Official site
- The Musée Tomi Ungerer
- Biography translated from an exhibition in Hanover
- Tomi Ungerer: The Artist and His Background (1971)
|
