Musée Tomi Ungerer / Centre international de l'illustration

The Musée Tomi Ungerer / Centre international de l'illustration is a museum in Strasbourg, in the Bas-Rhin department of France, dedicated to the work of the Strasbourg-born artist Tomi Ungerer (1931-2019). Opened on 2 November 2007, it functions as both a monographic museum and an international center for illustration, housing a major collection of drawings, archives, toys, and periodicals donated by the artist to his native city. The institution occupies half of the former Villa Greiner, a renovated 19th-century villa near Place Broglie, and presents Ungerer's multifaceted career across three floors while also hosting temporary exhibitions devoted to other contemporary illustrators.

The museum project was discussed for many years before finally opening to the public on 2 November 2007. The establishment was made possible through multiple donations by Tomi Ungerer to the city of Strasbourg, beginning in 1975. Thérèse Willer served as founding director, and in March 2023 the German art historian and curator Anna Sailer assumed leadership of the museum. The city of Strasbourg bore the majority of the renovation costs, approximately four million euros, to transform the villa into a museum space. In 2011, the city declared the "Tomi-Ungerer-Jahr" to honor the artist's 80th birthday, during which a metal sculpture based on his drawing was unveiled in the villa's garden.

The collection comprises two main components. The first consists of 14,000 original drawings and prints representing all axes of Ungerer's production: children's book illustrations, satirical and political drawings, and advertising posters, spanning all his stylistic periods from childhood through his New York period to recent works. As of 31 December 2015, the total collection held 24,170 pieces. The second component encompasses approximately 6,000 toys from Ungerer's personal collection, including mechanical toys, lead soldiers, and board games. Due to their light sensitivity, most documents and toys are rotated three times per year. Since March 2008, all drawings in the collection have been made available for free online consultation. The museum also holds an extensive documentary fund including a library, video library, and press archives concerning Ungerer and illustration generally, as well as 1,700 works by international illustrators acquired since 2007.

Among the international illustrators represented in the collection are Jean Alessandrini, R. O. Blechman, Max Fabre, Maurice Henry, Jean Effel, Borislav Sajtinac, William Steig, Roland Topor, and F. K. Waechter. The collection also includes works by Saul Steinberg, Ronald Searle, and André François. In the garden stands the metal sculpture Sur les dents, fabricated after a drawing by Ungerer and unveiled in April 2011. Measuring 2.40 meters high, it depicts a figure pulling a saw through its head. Some of the most remarkable mechanical toys from Ungerer's collection are on permanent display at the Musée des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg, with select pieces exhibited at the Musée Tomi Ungerer alongside drawings.

The museum occupies one half of the former Villa Greiner, a spacious villa built in 1884 by the Parisian architect Revel, with construction completed between 1885 and 1887. The villa served as the seat of the RTF in the 1950s before being purchased by the city of Strasbourg in 1963, which used it for various municipal purposes including branches of the conservatory and opera. Located near Place Broglie, the villa sits close to the Janus fountain designed by Tomi Ungerer and Place de la République in the German imperial quarter. The completely renovated villa provides 700 square meters of exhibition space. The interior is characterized by white walls, floors, stairs, and blinds. A ramp winding through the garden was designed by architect Emmanuel Combarel to provide universal access and as an allusion to the artist's "winding spirit."

The museum is located in Strasbourg, France, and is owned and operated by the city. Works are displayed across three floors according to a route that is modified every four months. The ground floor presents children's book illustrations chronologically from 1957 to 2018, including drawings from Das große Liederbuch, a transitional work between children's and adult books, plus a video terminal and screen showing the film "Trait pour Trait" devoted to the artist's biography. The first floor displays humor and social and political satire drawings, alternating with exhibitions on illustration themes or other modern and contemporary illustrators. The basement presents satirical and erotic works, some of which are flagged as potentially disturbing to younger visitors; this level is not accessible for children. The museum also hosts regular temporary exhibitions and special exhibitions dedicated to contemporary illustrators.