Napo (1942-2020)

Born in Rosario in Argentina in January 1942, Antonio Osvaldo Mongiello, known as Napo, published his first drawings in the press of his country in the 1960s, then he left for Europe. He first settled in Italy between 1968 and 1970, where he worked with Linus and Sergeant Kirk, and in La Vanguardia in Spain. In 1970 he returned to Argentina and worked for comics. In 1974, under the penname Napoleón, he published his first cartoon album "Tutti Frutti" with Ediciones del Pregón.
In 1976 he moved to France. There, in the company of the cartoonist Avoine, Barbe, Blachon, Bridenne, Fred, Lacroix, Laville, Loup, Mose, Nicoulaud, Sabatier, Serre, Siné, Soulas and Trez, he founded the Association "Les Humoristes Associés" in 1980. With these cartoonists, he participates in many collective books: "Le Vin", "Le Ski", "Les 7 Péchés capitaux", "La Table", "Politicons", "La Mer", "Jeux d'hiver - Jeux d'humour". He publishes his own books of graphic humour, first with Glénat editions: "C'est la Jungle" and "Le Golf" (a sport he practices assiduously); with Consonances editions "Napo Tango", (a book containing a CD of bandoneon music). On the occasion of his personal exhibitions in Paris, two collections of his works are published in a book form: one by the "Galerie An.Girard" in 2011, the other by the association "Les Humoristes" in 2017. He collaborates with many French newspapers and illustrates books for several publishers: Nathan, Hachette and Belin. He creates posters for Verkerke Publishing in the Netherlands and for Heye Verlag in Germany, he illustrates games, puzzles and calendars.
In 2019 he returns to Argentina with his wife. According to one of his friends, Napo's death was rather sudden and unexpected: "After a fall during a party with friends, he broke part of his pelvis and, badly cured at the hospital, he succumbed. On January 8, 2020, his funeral ceremony took place in the chapel of the Chacarita cemetery in Buenos Aires. Napo was a great colorist who knew how to turn towards us a satirical mirror imbued with poetic wisdom.

JMB

1974

1986

1986

1998

1998

2005 Tango

2011

2011  Napo a Girard

2017 Napo Expo 

2017 Napo expo