Gruffalo inventor
Exhibition with unpublished works by Axel Scheffler
Illustrator Axel Scheffler, taken in Hamburg. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
With the Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler created a character that decades later would still delight children around the world. In Munich, the illustrator is now giving a very special insight into his work.
Axel Scheffler prefers to illustrate fantastic stories and characters in his children’s books than to depict reality. “I prefer to draw the fairytale world than the real world,” said the illustrator of the German Press Agency before the opening of the exhibition “Axel Scheffler – Picture Worlds for Big and Small” in Munich.
With the Gruffalo, Scheffler created a character that decades later still inspires children all over the world. This is also due to the complexity of his classic children’s book, said the illustrator. Younger children often “grow into understanding the story” later, Scheffler explained. But the story works on different levels and thus appeals to different age groups.
The ambiguous character of the popular fantasy creature is also part of the fascination, because “on the one hand children find it cute and have their plush gruffalos and on the other hand it is of course dangerous,” explained Scheffler. He does not know exactly how many books Scheffler has illustrated over the years, the 64-year-old has never counted them – according to his estimate there are between 150 and 200.
The doors to Scheffler’s world of images will be open in Munich from Friday. On the occasion of his 65th birthday on December 12, the International Youth Library is showing published and unpublished works from the illustrator’s workshop. In addition to sketches and original illustrations, these also include private objects such as illustrated envelopes to Scheffler’s sister. Children and adults can visit the exhibition at Blutenburg Castle until March 12, 2023.
International Youth Library: Announcement of the vernissage