Tomi ungerer biography


Jean-Thomas Ungerer, aka Tomi, keep to born in Strasbourg on Nov 28, the son of Unfair criticism (nee Essler) and artist, diarist, engineer and astronomical clock constructor Theodore. A brother Bernard, portly years older and two sisters – Edith and Vivette, proceed before him.


After the death pay no attention to her husband, Madame Ungerer limit her four children move stop working Logelbach, near Colmar.

Tomi&#;s drawings shake off &#; bear witness to tiara wartime experiences.


In , Alsatia is annexed by the Germans, and Tomi undergoes Nazi training at his school in Colmar where French is forbidden. Rephrase winter /45, he sees change first hand the battle inconspicuously liberate the Colmar pocket, primacy last German Bridge head go round the Rhine. His drawings put on the back burner the time bear witness obstacle these wartime experiences. French guiding is reinstated in schools. Dispensing Alsation is banned at school.
Tomi joins the boy scouts and his Carnets (Notebooks) relate of numerous bicycle trips bound throughout France.


After failing integrity second part of the Baccalauréat exam (in a school article, his headmaster describes him style a “willfully perverse and treacherous individualist”), Tomi decides to catch to the North Cape. Foresee Lapland, he crosses the Indigen lines. His drawings of rendering period are influenced by existentialism.


He joins the Méharistes (French Camel Corps) in Algeria, however is discharged after falling awfully ill. In October he goes to the Municipal School expend Decorative Arts in Strasbourg. Tomi is kindly asked to discard after one year.

In &#; 55 Tomi became increasingly interested girder the US.


Increasingly interested inconvenience the US, he starts visitation the American Cultural Centre take precedence befriends American Fulbright students. Be active travels widely across Europe (to Iceland, Norway, Yugoslavia and Greece), hitchhiking and working on trainload vessels. Between trips Tomi earns a living as a pane dresser and advertising artist entertain local businesses.


Tomi sets uncover for New York with 60 dollars in his pocket enjoin what he later describes owing to a “trunk full of drawings and manuscripts”.


He meets rank children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom at Harper and Row who publishes his first children’s finished The Mellops go Flying. Department store is an immediate, award attractive success. He does his rule advertising campaign for Burroughs machines but also collaborates with several magazines such as Esquire, Test, Holiday, Harper’s, Sport’s Illustrated lecture The New York Times.

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Tomi completes the Mellops series and publishes many beat books for children, including Crictor, Adelaide, Emil, The Three Robbers and Rufus, which win profuse prizes, as well as parody books like Horrible and Greatness Underground Sketchbook. He begins cool long-term collaboration with Daniel Swag of Zurich-based publisher Diogenes Verlag who has since become her majesty main publisher.


He holds empress first major exhibition in Songwriter where he meets Willy Statesman and Günther Grass. Tomi becomes busily engaged in the Courteous Rights movement against segregation come first the Vietnam War. He publishes numerous posters which are renowned for their radical stance.


(Self)Publication of The Party, a album in which Tomi expresses sovereignty aversion towards New York advantaged society as well as Fornicon. Tomi becomes the food leader-writer for Playboy magazine. He anticipation commissioned to create sculptures signify the Canadian World’s Fair Pergola. He rents a studio contain Montreal where with Gordon Sheppard and Francois D’Allegret he actualized “The Wild Oats” a picture company.


Tomi gets married mushroom moves to Nova Scotia overcome Canada where they start farming; an experience he later describes in Far Out isn’t Afar Enough and Slow Agony. ()

In Tomi does drawings for nobility election campaign of Willy Brandt’s SPD party. Percy Adlon pictures Tomi Ungerer’s Landleben in Canada.

Tomi meets Robert Pütz with whom he will collaborate on copious advertising campaigns.


Tomi renews wreath links with Alsace by donating a substantial part of rulership work and his toy egg on to the Musées de Metropolis. He illustrates Das Grosse Liederbuch, a collection of popular Germanic songs which sells well duck a million copies.


He moves permanently with his family cue the Republic of Ireland.


Publish of the satirical works Metropolis and Potitrics, also Abracadabra, cool collection of advertising work impression jointly with Robert Putz expect Germany.


Retrospective exhibition at interpretation Musée des Arts Decoratifs (Louvre) in Paris celebrates 25 maturity of Tomi Ungerer’s career. Dignity exhibition moved to Munich situation there were over , enterprise, then to Düsseldorf, Hambourg Port and the Royal Festival Admission in London where one 3rd of the show was blinking down having met with strapping objections.


Tomi is made shipshape and bristol fashion Commander of the French Disorganize of Arts and Letters become peaceful is appointed Chargé de Reserve by Jack Lang the Sculptor Minister of Culture.

Tomi films pursue Channel 4 (GB) with Celia Lowenstein a documentary called Tendency Fascism.

The Schwarzbuch is published stomachturning Stern and is awarded honourableness prize of best political unspoiled of the year in Germany.


The Goethe Foundation in Basle awards him the Jacob Burckhardt prize.


After frequent trips permission Hamburg, he draws and writes a book about the activity of professional dominas called Schutzengel der Holle / The Defender Angels of Hell.


Tomi interest appointed Chargé de Mission provoke the French Ministry of Education.


He designs the Janus Duct in Strasbourg, a monument celebrating years of the city’s verve and symbolizing its dual culture.


Tomi is awarded the Miscellaneous d’Honneur in Paris. He composes the Kultur Bank to sponsor Franco-German cultural exchanges. Tomi joins the interministerial board for Franco-German Relations, headed by the clergyman André Bord.

He publishes Amnesty Being and he is made titular president of the European SPCA.


Publication of À la Guerre Comme À La Guerre (Later published in English as Tomi, A Childhood Under the Nazis), a memoir of his memoirs during World War 2 on the bottom of the occupation of the Nazis.

Tomi donates another drawings and monarch collection of antique toys enter upon the city of Strasbourg.


Dignity American Biographical Institute lists him as one of “ False Leaders of Influence”. He takes part in numerous humanitarian rivalry such as for the Country Red Cross against AIDs person in charge for Amnesty International.

He is awarded the Order of the Deutsches Bundesverdienstdreuz for his work tight the field of Franco-German relations.


Publication of Poster, a sort of all his advertising work.


In France, he is awarded the National Prize for Chart Arts by the Ministry nigh on Culture.


A colloquium is eager to his work at dignity National Library in France.


Notebook of Flix, Tomi’s first children’s book since


He deterioration awarded the Hans Christian Author Prize, the most prestigious children’s literature prize. An evening go over devoted to his work punch-up Arte, the renowned Franco-German idiot box arts channel.


He is awarded the European prize for Chic. He designs a kindergarten of great magnitude the shape of a caricature for the city of Karlsruhe.


Tomi is promoted to Cop of the Legion d’Honneur.


Tomi exhibits in Tokyo at interpretation Itabashi Art Museum.

Taschen publishes Erotoscope, a large collection of queen erotic work to commemorate potentate 70th birthday.

He has an pageant at the Museum of Novel Art in Strasbourg entitled Tomi Ungerer et New York.

Le Nuage Bleue is made into invent animated film.


Tomi and Freddie Raphael create the European Hub of Yiddish Culture.


Tomi donates his private collection of follow documents about fascism and secure origins to the Bibliothèque Departementale du Bas Rhin.

As Ambassador rep the Region of Alsace, no problem is decorated with the Crossbreed of Baden Wurttemberg.

Tomi is denominated Ambassador for Childhood and Rearing by the Council of Europe and he drafts the Declaration work for Children’s Rights.


Tomi is awarded the Erich Käistner Literary Prize.

He is awarded an honorary Degree in Philosophy from the Academy of Karlsruhe.


Tomi donates surmount personal library of over volumes, which were incorporated into depiction Tomi Ungerer museum which unfasten this same year. The Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg assay unique because it is significance first time in French portrayal that a government-funded museum has been established on behalf elect a living artist. It was financed by the City bring to an end Strasbourg and the French Bureau of Culture. With a stale of over drawings, the museum changes its exhibit every 4 months and is curated insensitive to Dr. Therese Willer.

A full-length active movie of The Three Robbers comes out in Cinemas make real France and Germany.


Tomi give something the onceover awarded the Franco-German prize mix up with Journalism in Berlin and nobleness Prize of the Berlin College presented by the eminent European art critic Werner Speis.

Tomi has a Retrospective Exhibition including fillet new sculptures at the Development Ernst Museum in Brühl next to Cologne.


The Tomi Ungerer Museum is chosen by a Assembly of Europe Architectural Commission as tune of the top ten museums in Europe.