Born in Strasbourg, French illustrator Tomi Ungerer has lived in many places including New York.
To celebrate his 80th birthday, he published an updated edition of Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: Life in the Back of Beyond (Phaidon Press, May 2011).
In 1971, acclaimed graphic illustrator and children’s book author Tomi Ungerer and his wife Yvonne decided to give up their urban life in New York City and move full-time to their remote farm in Gull Harbor, Nova Scotia. FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH is a memoir featuring the story of the couple’s life as they build up their dilapidated homestead and face the highs and lows of their new life in isolation.
They practiced sustainability long before it became a trend and the subject of numerous books.
Omnipresent throughout the book are over 150 of Ungerer’s gorgeous illustrations in watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil. Varied subjects including the farm animals, studies of the local flora and fauna, and gorgeous landscapes, provide a mesmerizing visual parallel and evoke the full beauty of this remote and desolate corner of the North Atlantic. Originally published in 1984, this new edition includes revised text and numerous never before seen illustrations.
A week from today, Tomi Ungerer, Chronicler of the Absurd exhibit opens at Eric Carle Museum of Picture Art in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Ungerer’s career, like contemporaries Leo Lionni and Eric Carle, was multi-faceted, encompassing advertising and political commentary. Prior to leaving America, Ungerer arranged for the Free Library of Philadelphia to acquire a substantial portion of his work up until that point.
Selected from archives and private collections, the exhibition documents the bulk of Ungerer’s career as a writer and illustrator of children’s books. Included in the exhibition, among others, will be examples from Ungerer’s first book, The Mellops Go Flying (1957), as well as The Three Robbers (1962), Flat Stanley (1964), and Moon Man (1967).
The exhibit opens on June 18 and runs until October 9, 2011.
If you are in New York City this afternoon (June 11), Tomi Ungerer will be at Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street (between 5th and 6th) at 4:00 PM for a Free Public Book Signing.
He then visits Philadelphia on June 14 for Tomi Ungerer: Subversive Genius, The 80th Birthday Interview moderated by Tony Auth at 7 PM at Free Library, 1901 Vine Street. This event is Free to the Public.
Last on list of author's events in the U.S, join Tomi Ungerer on June 19 (1 PM) in Amherst (Massachussetts) for Book Signing celebrating the opening of Tomi Ungerer: Chronicler of the Absurd at Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, located 125 West Bay Road. Free with Museum Admission.
If you visit Strasbourg, pay a visit to Musee Tomi Ungerer opened in 2007.
The Geant de Zeralda illustration (1967, above, copyright Diogenes Verlag) is part of the museum's collection.
Looking at this slew of activity by someone turning 80 should be a source of inspiration for many of us. My best 25 years might be ahead of me after all.