Tomi Ugerer Museum

Tomi Ungerer

World-famous cartoonist and illustrator Tomi Ungerer was born in Strasbourg in 1931 and lived at least partly in the city until his death in February 2019. The bilingual artist was a convinced European; his early years took him not only across Europe, but also to Algeria, as a sailor in the North Atlantic, and later to the USA. There he won a first prize in 1957 for his first illustrated children's book, "The Mellops go flying". That same year, he joined the Swiss publishing house Diogenes, where his books are still published today. In addition to children's books, he also drew movie posters, eroticism and advertising. In total, he created about 40,000 drawings and more than 140 books.

The museum in the villa

Villa Greiner, which houses the museum, was built in the 1880s and is located near Place Broglie, where Ungerer's Janus Fountain stands. In the 1950s, the villa was the headquarters of the RTF, France's public broadcaster. In 1963, it became the property of the City of Strasbourg and had several functions. Finally, in 2007, the museum was opened here.

Ungerer's work on several levels

On the ground floor of the Tomi Ungerer Museum, the illustrations and the famous children's books are presented and the artist's biography is discussed. Advertising posters and the satirical drawings, which, for example, deal with racial segregation in the USA or the Vietnam War, are exhibited on the second floor. In the basement, on the other hand, works are gathered that deal with the themes of death and eroticism.

Changing exhibitions

In addition to the permanent collection of Tomi Ungerer's works, the villa also hosts temporary exhibitions, most of which focus on other contemporary illustrators. But it is not only these changing shows that make a repeated visit worthwhile: due to the light sensitivity of most drawings and prints, they are changed at least three times a year. In this way, visitors always get to see new works.