Tomi Ungerer, born in 1931, is a protean artist whose tender yet subversive work currently comprises nearly 40,000 drawings.

Like a joyful poet, he unfolds an absurd and extraordinary world, where animals smoke cigarettes and paint walls, and skeletons ride horseback. It is his way of protesting against injustice and fascism, basing his provocative, humorous social satire on the world around him, offering an eyewitness account of our century. Best-known for his books intended for children, his oeuvre also include much-admired satirical, political and erotic cartoons and drawings, as well as posters and advertising.

This book was composed in collaboration with Thérèse Willer, head curator of the Tomi Ungerer Museum –International Illustration Centre in Strasbourg, a specialist in his work. It offers an overview of a major illustrator’s oeuvre.