America

Tomi Ungerer, born in Strasbourg in 1931, failed his final school exams yet subsequently hitchhiked throughout Europe and published his first drawings in the legendary Simplicissimus magazine. He began his extensive career as an illustrator, children’s book author and artist in New York. In 2003 Ungerer was appointed the first Ambassador for Childhood and Education by the Council of Europe, and in 2007 the Tomi Ungerer Museum opened in Strasbourg, making him the first living artist with a museum dedicated to his life and work in France. In 2014 he received France’s National Order of Merit, and in 2018 he was appointed Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur by French president Emmanuel Macron. Ungerer lives with his family in southwest Ireland and Strasbourg.