Tomi Ungerer (in English)

Tomi Ungerer is another of my favourite cartoonists. Although "cartooning" really only covers a small aspect of his career, its this aspect that first attracted me to his work and I admire most.

His long career covers children book illustration, cartooning, poster art, photography, landscapes, and most notoriously erotic artworks. I cannot imagine that an individual nowadays being able to simultaneously pursue parallel careers in children's publishing and adult-themed erotic artworks.

He doesn't seem very well known in the UK, although I understand he was better known in the US (of the English speaking countries). In total, he has enjoyed a 50+ year publishing career and has a dedicated museum in Strasbourg (which is excellent).

Unusually for a cartoonist/illustrator, Ungerer seems to have gained acceptance amongst the mainstream art world, rather like Saul Steinberg has too.

I won't repeat what you can find on Wikipedia, but what strikes me as puzzling is his acceptance by state-funded art organizations given the sometimes extreme nature of his artworks. I think this might be explained, in that his work might fulfill a political need to demonstrate cultural ties between France and Germany. Significantly, Ungerer is from Strasbourg, on the border region between the two countries and which has been fought over during his lifetime.

I particularly like his early-to-mid sixties work, although some of his books from this period are becoming difficult to find at a reasonable price. I have sometimes found it cheaper to buy German-language re-issues than the English-language original publications. After all, it doesn't matter too much if the introduction is in German, as the illustrations are best bits anyway.

Here is a hopefully complete bibliography of his adult publications from 1960 through to the mid-eighties. I chose to end it then because after this time his books were rarely published in English (and I’ve not seen them).

The bibliography is complicated because his works are published in multiple languages for different markets, and some titles were only printed in specific territories. In addition, his artwork is frequently recycled in many subsequent titles, and it’s not obvious if a particular books contains new material or not.

In the coming months I hope to review select titles and mention which volumes contain new material and if not, where the illustrations originally appeared.

Horrible. An Account of the Sad Achievements of Progress, New York, Atheneum Publishers, 1960.
Tomi Ungerer’s Weltschmerz. Eine Bilanz der traurigen Errungenschaften des Fortschritts, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1961.
Inside Marriage, New York, Grove Press, 1960.
Der schönste Tag, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1960.
Ho Ho Hochzeit, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1971.
Der Herzinfarkt. Ein Stundenbuch für Geschäftsleute, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1962.
Der erfolgreiche Geschäftsmann. Ein Stundenbuch für Managers, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1976.
The Underground Sketchbook, New York, The Viking Press, 1964.
Les Carnets secrets de Tomi Ungerer, Paris, Denoël, 1964.
Tomi Ungerer’s Geheimes Skizzenbuch, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1968.
Der Sexmaniak, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1968.
The Party, New York, Paragraphic Books, Grossman Publishers, 1966.
The Party, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1969.
Une soirée mondaine, Paris, Albin Michel, 1976.
Fornicon, New York, Grove Press, 1970.
Fornicon, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1970.
Fornicon, Paris, éd. Jean-Claude Simoën, 1978.
Tomi Ungerer’s Compromises, New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1970.
Tomi Ungerer’s Kompromisse, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1970.
Spiegelmensch. Ein deutsches Wintermärchen, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1973.
Adam und Eva, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1974.
America. Zeichnungen 1956-1971, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1974.
Freut Euch des Lebens. 101 Skizzen und Studien für ein deutsches Volks- und Kinderliederbuch, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1975.
Hopp, hopp, hopp. Liederliche Liederskizzen, Cologne (édition privée), 1975.
Totempole. Erotische Zeichnungen 1968-1975, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1976.
I Designi di Tomi Ungerer, Milan, A. Garzanti, 1976.
Cartoon Classics, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1977.
Babylon, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1979.
Babylone, Paris, Arthur Hubschmidt éditeur, 1979.
Politrics. Posters, cartoons 1960-1979, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1979.
Abracadabra, Cologne, Argos Verlag, 1979.
Abracadra, Paris, éd. Jean-Claude Simoën, 1979.
Symptomatics, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1982.
Cartoon Classics, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1982.
Tomi Ungerers Cartoons, Munich, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, 1982.
Das Kamasutra der Frösche, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1982.
The Joy of Frogs, Londres, Souvenir Press, 1984.
Frisch, frosch, fröhlich, frei, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1985.
Les Grenouillades, Paris, Herscher, 1985.
Slow Agony, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1983.
Heute hier, morgen fort / Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1983.
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough, Londres, Methuen, 1984.
Nos années de boucherie, Paris, L’École des loisirs, 1987.
Rigor Mortis, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1983.
Tomi Ungerers Schwarzbuch, Hambourg, Gruner und Jahr AG & Co, 1984.
Tomi Ungerers Frauen. Zeichnungen 1956-1983, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1984.
Roberto Trulli [pseudonyme de T. Ungerer], Femme fatale, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1984.
Once in a Lifetime, Londres, Jonathan Cape Ltd, 1984.
Testament. A Collection of Satirical Drawings 1960-1980, Londres, Jonathan Cape, 1985.
Testament. Recueil de dessins satiriques 1960-1980, Paris, Herscher, 1985.
Warteraum. Wiedersehen mit dem Zauberberg, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1985.
Schutzengel der Hölle, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1986.
Tomi Ungerers Fundsachen, Ellert & Richter, Hambourg, 1987.
Derby, Zurich, Diogenes Verlag, 1987.