Jean-Thomas "Tomi" Ungerer (; 28 November 1931 – 9 February 2019) was an Alsatian artist and writer. He published over 140 books ranging from children's books to adult works and from the fantastic to the autobiographical. He was known for sharp social satire and witty aphorisms. Ungerer is also famous as a cartoonist and designer of political posters and film posters. Ungerer received the international

Hans Christian Andersen Medal The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". The ...

in 1998 for his "lasting contribution" as a children's illustrator.

Biography

Ungerer was born in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

in Alsace, France, the youngest of four children to Alice (Essler) and Theo Ungerer. The family moved to Logelbach, near

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it i ...

, 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 when the family home was requisitioned by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

. As a young man, Ungerer was inspired by the illustrations appearing in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' magazine, particularly the work of

Saul Steinberg Saul Steinberg (June 15, 1914 – May 12, 1999) was a Romanian-American artist, best known for his work for '' The New Yorker'', most notably '' View of the World from 9th Avenue''. He described himself as "a writer who draws". Biography S ...

. In 1957, the year after he moved to the U.S.,

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

published his first children's book, ''The Mellops Go Flying'', and his second, ''The Mellops Go Diving for Treasure''; by the early 1960s he had created at least ten children's picture books with Harper, plus a few others, and had illustrated some books by other writers. He also did illustration work for publications including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

, ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the ...

'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'', and for television during the 1960s, and began to create posters denouncing the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book '' Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 20 ...

called ''Moon Man'' (1966) "easily one of the best picture books in recent years." After '' Allumette: A Fable'', subtitled ''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 concern sexuality. He eventually returned to children's literature with ''Flix'' in 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. A consistent theme in Ungerer's illustrations is 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 The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...

Strasbourg Musée Tomi Ungerer décembre 2012

In 2007, his home town dedicated a museum to him, the ''

Musée Tomi Ungerer/Centre international de l’illustration Musée Tomi Ungerer/Centre international de l’illustration is a museum in Strasbourg in the Bas-Rhin department of France. Opened in November 2007, it is dedicated to the work of Strasbourg-born artist Tomi Ungerer and displays 11,000 graphic ...

''. Ungerer divided his time between Ireland, where he and his wife had moved in 1976, and Strasbourg. In addition to his work as a graphic artist and 'drawer', he was also a designer, toy collector and "archivist of human absurdity." A biographical documentary film, '' Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story'', was produced in 2012. The film was featured at the 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In 2015–2016, the

Kunsthaus Zurich Kunsthaus ( German meaning "art house") may refer to: * Kunsthaus Graz *Kunsthaus Tacheles * KunstHausWien * Kunsthaus Zürich See also * Art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western culture ...

and the Museum Folkwang in Essen devoted a large exhibition to Ungerer's artistic oeuvre and in particular his collages. A comprehensive book has been published by Philipp Keel from Diogenes with essays by Tobias Burg, Cathérine Hug and Thérèse Willer. Ungerer died on 9 February 2019 in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Ireland, aged 87.

Work

Tomi Ungerer described 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

and against animal cruelty),

eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

, and imaginative subjects for children's books. Ungerer's publications are held by the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

, including:

Children's books

* ''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 ''The Three Robbers'' (''Die drei Räuber'') is a full-length 2007 animated film adaption of the 1961 children's book by Tomi Ungerer, which was previously adapted as a 6-minute animated adaptation released in 1972 by Gene Deitch. The film was re ...

'' (1961) * ''Snail, Where Are You?'' (1962) * ''Mellops Go Spelunking'' (1963) * ''

Flat Stanley ''Flat Stanley'' is an American children's book series written by author Jeff Brown (January 1, 1926 – December 3, 2003). The idea for the book began as a bedtime story for Brown’s sons, which Brown turned into the first Flat Stanley book. Th ...

'' (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 * ''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 André Hodeir (22 January 1921 – 1 November 2011) was a French violinist, composer, arranger and musicologist. Biography Hodeir was born in Paris and trained as a classical violinist and composer. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, wh ...

* ''Cleopatra Goes Sledding'' (1967) – with

* ''What's Good for a 4-Year-Old?'' (1967) — art by Tomi Ungerer, text by William Cole * '' Moon Man'' (''Der Mondmann'') (

Diogenes Verlag The Diogenes Verlag (short: Diogenes) is a Swiss publisher in Zurich, founded in 1952 by , with a focus on literature, plays and cartoons. It has been managed since 2012 by the founder's son, Philipp Keel. History Daniel Keel, who founded the ...

, 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 The Hat is a Southern California fast-food restaurant chain specializing in pastrami dip sandwiches. This eatery, once local only to the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys ...

'' (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) * ''The Great Song Book'' — ed. by Timothy John (1978) English version of ''Das grosse Liederbuch'', 1975 * ''Tomi Ungerer's

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...

: The Classic Novel'' (1997) — art by Tomi Ungerer, text by

Johanna Spyri Louise Spyri (; ; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories, and is best known for her book '' Heidi''. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, as a child she spent se ...

* ''Cats as Cats Can'' (1997) * ''Flix'' (1998) * ''Tortoni Tremelo the Cursed Musician'' (1998) * '' Otto: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear'' (1999) * ''Zloty'' (2009) * ''Fog Island'' (2013)

Adult books

* ''Horrible. An account of the Sad Achievements of Progress'' * ''Der Herzinfarkt'' (1962) * ''The Underground Sketchbook'' (1964) * ''The Party'' (1966) * ''Fornicon'' (1969) * ''Tomi Ungerer's Compromises'' (1970) * ''Poster Art of Tomi Ungerer'' (1972) * ''America'' (1974) * ''Totempole'' (1976) * ''Babylon'' (1979) * ''Cat-Hater's Handbook, Or, The Ailurophobe's Delight'' (1981) — co-authored by William Cole * ''Symptomatics'' (1982) * ''Rigor Mortis'' (1983) * ''Slow Agony'' (1983) * ''Heute hier, morgen fort'' (1983) * ''Far out Isn't Far Enough'' (1984) * ''Femme Fatale'' (1984) * ''Schwarzbuch'' (1984) * ''Joy of Frogs'' (1985) * ''Warteraum'' (1985) * ''Schutzengel der Hölle'' (1986) * ''Cats As Cats Can'' (1997) * ''Tomi: A Childhood Under the Nazis'' (1998) * ''Liberal Arts: The Political Art of Tomi Ungerer'' (1999) * ''Erotoscope'' (2002) * ''De père en fils'' (2002)

Other works

* Design of ''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'', known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'', is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and ...

'' film poster (1964) * Design of the logo for the ill-fated Broadway musical ''Kelly'' (1965) * Art work and poster for the film ''

Monterey Pop ''Monterey Pop'' is a 1968 American concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles. The ...

'' (1968) * Design of the Janus Aqueduct in

(1988)

Awards

The biennial

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Ungerer received the illustration award in 1998. Ungerer received the 2014 ''Lifetime Achievement of the Year'' award at the

Sexual Freedom Awards The Sexual Freedom Awards is an annual British event that honours achievement in the sexuality and erotica industries worldwide. Founded in 1994 by campaigner Tuppy Owens, the awards were first called the "Erotic Oscars", until the name had to be ...

. In 2018, he was made a commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

Literature

* (ed.): ''Tomi Ungerer. Zwischen Marianne und Germania'', on the occasion of the exhibitions of the same name at the

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (''Museum of Art and Design Hamburg'') is a museum of fine, applied and decorative arts in Hamburg, Germany. It is located centrally, near the Hauptbahnhof. History The museum was founded in 1874, fol ...

, 19 December 1999 – 13 February 2000, and at the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 16 March – 13 June 2000]. Prestel, Munich 1999 * Maria Linsmann: preface to exhibition catalogue ''Tomi Ungerer-Illustrationen und Plastiken'', Burg Wissem, of

Troisdorf Troisdorf () is a city in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (district), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Troisdorf is located approximately 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn. Division of the city Troisdorf co ...

2000 * Thérèse Willer: ''Tomi Ungerer, the "Picasso“ of caricature.'' In: ''Graphis. The international journal of design and communication'', , vol. 59, no. 348, 2003, pp 18–37 * Thérèse Willer: ''Tomi Ungerer. Das Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg.''

Diogenes Diogenes ( ; grc, Διογένης, Diogénēs ), also known as Diogenes the Cynic (, ) or Diogenes of Sinope, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy). He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea ...

, Zurich 2007, . (catalogue of the permanent exhibition, with 210 illustrations by Ungerer, three essays by Thérèse Willer and several introductions) * Thérèse Willer: ''Tomi Ungerer: Energie.''

EnBW EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, or simply EnBW, is a publicly-traded energy company headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany. As its name indicates, EnBW is based in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. History Foundation and development ...

Service, Karlsruhe 2007, . * ''Tomi Ungerer. Der schärfste Strich der westlichen Welt.'' du Kulturmedien, No. 812, Zurich 2010,
Table of contents
* (ed.): ''Expect the Unexpected. Essays über Tomi Ungerer zu seinem 80. Geburtstag'', essays by ,

Walther Killy Walther Killy (26 August 191728 December 1995) was a German literary scholar who specialised in poetry, especially that of Friedrich Hölderlin and Georg Trakl. He taught at the Free University of Berlin, the Georg-August-Universität Göttinge ...

Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt (; 5 January 1921 – 14 December 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant- ...

Robert Gernhardt Robert Gernhardt (13 December 1937 – 30 June 2006) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist and poet. Life Robert Gernhardt was born the son of a judge and a chemist in Tallinn, where his family was part of the Baltic German minority. I ...

, Anna Gavalda,

Elke Heidenreich Elke Heidenreich (née Riegert; born 15 February 1943) is a German author, TV presenter, literary critic and journalist. She has written audio plays, a magazine column, scripts for television plays and books. Heidenreich is known as the ''Kabarett ...

. Diogenes, Zurich 2011,

References

External links

* *
Musée Tomi Ungerer

* Biography translated from a

in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Tomi Ungerer: The Artist and His Background
d.hatena.ne.jp 1971 * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ungerer, Tomi 1931 births 2019 deaths Alsatian-German people Anti–Vietnam War activists BDSM people Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Recipients of the Saarland Order of Merit Film poster artists French cartoonists French children's book illustrators French children's writers French erotic artists Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration winners Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Artists from Strasbourg Writers from Strasbourg