Cartoonfestival Knokke-Heist forever

I started collecting cartoon books in 1980. My first catalogue was the Knokke-Heist Cartoonfestival catalogue of 1980. This weekend was the opening weekend of the annual exhibition (June 22 - Sept.28-2008).

Collectors' Item: the first catalogue (1962-1963)

Since the beginning there was a catalogue. First it was UNICEF, later, since 1967, Davidsfonds released its "Kartoenboek", later named "cartoonbook" and "Cartoons".
The International Cartoonfestival Knokke-Heist has a long history. In 1962, the commune Heist organised the first "Salon van de humor" (Salon of humour). From 1964, the an annual festival, is organised in Knokke. The Cartoonfestival became known in more than 60 countries and every year more than 800 cartoonists send over 4,000 cartoons for the annual contest. It's one of the top cartoon events in the world.

I brought together for you all the catalogues since the beginning. A small history of the Knokke-Heist catalogues...
click here...

Toonpool.com - YouTube for cartoons

Last week I discovered, via the blog of Ben Heine, the Toonpool.com site. Toonpool.com is a recent Web2.0 site that should interest all of us. It's YouTube (or Picasa, Flicr..) for cartoon lovers and cartoonists! I even heard that there is a project going on that projects the cartoons in the tube (metro) of Berlin.
At the time I write this article, 1044 users and 559 cartoonists already signed in.


Toonpool.com is a German (Berlin) initiative and I truly recommend you to join it for free. You can sign in as user or cartoonist. Cartoonists can upload their cartoons and show them to the world. You can rate, comment, bookmark cartoons and cartoonists, you have an open diary, can link to your blog or website and there is a discussion forum.

I find it a splendid site and it's a way to discover cartoonists and their work.
But let's not forget that, despite all the digital possibilities, a good cartoon book is certainly not to be missed!

Take a look yourself and discover on Toonpool, for example:
Pawel Kuczynski (Poland)
Ben Heine (Belgium)
Yu Liang (China)
Sergei Elkin (Russia)
Constantin Ciosu (Romania)

and many, many others...

Learn more:
Article about ToonPool.com in Stern - in German
English translation (with Google Tranlations)

Assembled Cartoons by Roger Penwill

When I first looked in the book ‘Assembled Cartoons' , without knowing whom Roger Penwill was, spontaneously came to me the idea: "Yes, that’s why I collect cartoon books". A look at this collection just fun, but certainly not trivial, gag cartoons gives me a good feeling. The same feeling as when someone tells me a pleasant joke.

The desert island cartoon: fresh original ideas
for a concept that has been done to death

Roger Penwill is a professional cartoonist and humorous illustrator whose cartoons have been published and exhibited worldwide and even translated into Chinese.
The cartoons in the book are all digital artwork, exept one that’s an ink pen original. I found it without cheating! The book is a selection of previously exhibited, published and award winning cartoons.

At the time this book was produced, Roger was General Presdent of FECO. The slogan of Feco is ‘drawing the world together’ With these cartoons Roger Penwill succeeds wonderfully to obtain this goal.
A booklet certainly not to lack in your collection!
or as Tim Harries says:
“This is a well put together book - the cartoons are very well reproduced - and certainly worth picking up. “


The book is available and it costs 6.95 pounds sterling + postage. Potential purchasers can contact Roger Penwill at roger@penwill. com

Thanks to mr Penwill for his kind permission.

Read more:
Roger Penwill Cartoons – the site of Roger Penwill
Picture of Roger Penwill and Mike Lynch
Review by Tim Harries
The Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain

'Les Parisiennes de Kiraz' et Carla Bruni

Kiraz is born in Cairo in 1923. There, he first worked as a political satirist, in a style close to David Low, during WW II. He moved to France then, from 1948, he changed his style and published humorous cartoons in various French papers & magazines, especially in “Jours de France” where he created his “Parisiennes” characters, on 1959. These modern and fashionable young women brought him fame as well in France as abroad.
Half a century years later, The Musée Carnavalet, the Paris museum about Paris, is holding an exhibition showing a large body of his work (open from 14 May to 21 September 2008). This first major retrospective of his work includes 130 pieces: original cartoons (like the ones he is publishing, from 1970, in “Playboy” magazine), some paintings that have never been seen, sketches, photographs, advertising posters and press clippings.
This book also contains his self-biography, and a lot of information about his work




Kiraz is well-known for his instantly recognisable style of cartoons, especially his series of impossibly tall and thin young feminine characters called 'Les Parisiennes'. Here they are, before and after wedding, sometimes completely brainless, sometimes wickedly satirical, but ever so true and funny. Kiraz is a chronicler of contemporary mores and Paris fashions.
One must mention this book is prefaced by Carla Bruni, the actual France first lady.

Her last sentence is: < “Les Parisiennes” are the frivolous and timeless Parisian women, so I wish courage to their future husbands.> Well thought…
Kiraz has published fourteen other cartoon books, and one is dedicated to his advertising posters for the sugar substitute ‘Canderel’.



Learn more:
KIRAZ Artworks - Site officiel
Bibliographie of Kiraz
Cartoonbook file 'Les Parisiennes de Kiraz' - catalogue de l'exposition au Musée Carnavalet

Cartoonbook file 'Les Parsiennes se marient'

Unbelievable! Cartoons about men and religion

In Holland, our cartoon friends have a cartoon festival too. Each year a new catalogue is published and most catalogues are still available.

Pavel Constantin - Romania

The 15th edition (2007) theme was 'men and religion' and the catalogue is again a nice collection of cartoons about a sometimes contested topic.
The book's introduction states it that way:

Is our neighbors' lawn always greener than ours? Is their house bigger? Do they have a nicer car or more pleasant children? Are we jealous? Do we like their culture? Can we laugh with them?
Are they religious? Is one religion better than another one? Is our faith the only thrue one? Religion, can we really have fun with it? Cartoonists from different countries, from different cultures with different religions, they do. The "true belief" is not easy to hurt.

Lubomir Kotrha - Slowakia

A good cartoonist does not follow any intention to hurt or insult. He provokes, reacts, comments, makes us think and makes us smile. That's his job.
In this book you find a unique collection of cartoons around the theme of men and religion.

Unbelievably funny!

Thanks to Peter Nieuwendijk for his kind permission.

Ali Miraee - Iran

Learn more:
Cartoonbooksfile 'Ongelooflijk'

www.cartoonboeken.nl

Cartoonbooks about books 2: Le Savoir Rire

After Ronald Searle's 'Slightly Foxed but Still Desirable',here's another 'cartoonbook about books'.

It’s a funny collection of cartoons (without caption) about books and reading, drawn by well known European cartoonists (+ the American Virgil Partch)
This book was offered as a gift by the publisher. It was probably reprinted several times, as there are soft cover copies too. Although old actually, it is not too rare to find this anthology. As I’m collecting from ages, I quite often noticed that small size books are pleasant items.

Learn more:
Cartoonbooks file 'Le Savoir Rire'