Rencontres de l'Illustration de Strasbourg
Illustration takes over the entire city of Strasbourg
About Rencontres de l'Illustration
Every March, the Rencontres de l'Illustration transforms Strasbourg into a vast circuit dedicated to drawing and images. Supported by the City and Eurometropolis, these encounters mobilize the Tomi Ungerer Museum, media libraries, HEAR, Le 5e Lieu, and numerous cultural partners around exhibitions, creative workshops, conferences, and professional meetings. A unifying event that celebrates the richness of contemporary illustration on a European scale.
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The Rencontres de l'Illustration: Strasbourg, Land of Images
Strasbourg has a deep connection with illustration, a legacy of a long tradition of printing, engraving, and graphic arts dating back to Gutenberg's invention of printing. The Rencontres de l'Illustration, created by the City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, perpetuate and renew this tradition by offering a major cultural event each spring dedicated to drawn images in all their forms.
A City-Wide Unifying Event
The Rencontres de l'Illustration are not just a classic festival: they constitute a cultural ecosystem mobilizing all Strasbourg institutions around a common theme. The Tomi Ungerer Museum – International Centre for Illustration, the media libraries of the Strasbourg network, the HEAR (Haute École des Arts du Rhin), Le 5e Lieu, and numerous associative players like Central Vapeur join forces to offer a rich and diverse program.
Major Exhibitions
Each edition is structured around a unifying theme presented in about ten exhibitions spread throughout the city. The Tomi Ungerer Museum hosts major retrospectives, while the André Malraux media library, the HEAR galleries, and associative spaces showcase contemporary artists, emerging collectives, and experimental projects.
Beyond Exhibitions: Meetings, Workshops, and Professional Life
The Rencontres offer a dense program of creative workshops for all audiences—children, families, adults—, conferences and round tables on the challenges of contemporary illustration, signing sessions, and an Independent Publishers' Fair bringing together alternative publishers and fanzine collectives. Professional days allow illustrators, publishers, and art directors to meet and exchange.
The installation of works in public spaces—large-format posters on the quays, ephemeral frescoes, urban trails—helps to make illustration a visible and accessible art form for the greatest number, beyond the walls of institutions.
European Reach
Strasbourg, a border city at the crossroads of Europe, attracts artists, publishers, and professionals from Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and beyond each year. The Rencontres are part of a European network of events dedicated to illustration, strengthening Strasbourg's position as a major hub for graphic creation in Europe.
Rencontres de l'Illustration — edition 2026
The 11th edition of the Rencontres de l'Illustration takes place from March 4 to 29, 2026, around the theme 'The Animal as Language'. About ten exhibitions, including a F'murrr retrospective at the Tomi Ungerer Museum, and installations by Laura Simonati on the quays animate the city throughout March.
11th Edition — The Animal as Language
The 2026 Rencontres de l'Illustration explore the animal figure as an invitation to look differently at our relationship with the natural, social, and political world. The theme 'The Animal as Language' is presented in about ten exhibitions throughout the city.
Highlights
The Tomi Ungerer Museum dedicates a major exhibition to F'murrr (1946-2018), creator of the cult series Le Génie des Alpages, presenting his comic strips, press illustrations, and editorial work from March 5 to August 30, 2026. Italian illustrator Laura Simonati takes over the Quai des Bateliers with 20 large-format posters from her series La Fête des chiens.
The André Malraux media library offers the exhibition 'Bêtes de Bibliothèques' (March 3 – April 5), exploring animal imagery in children's illustration. The Independent Publishers' Fair takes place on March 28 and 29 at Garage Coop with 25 publishers and collectives.
Programme Rencontres de l'Illustration 2026
2026 Program
- F'murrr Exhibition — Tomi Ungerer Museum (March 5 – August 30)
- Laura Simonati, La Fête des chiens — Quai des Bateliers (March 4-29)
- Bêtes de Bibliothèques — Médiathèque André Malraux (March 3 – April 5)
- Independent Publishers' Fair — Garage Coop (March 28-29)
- Central Vapeur 16 Festival — Coop (March 4-29)
- Creative workshops, conferences, professional days
Highlights Rencontres de l'Illustration 2026
To Remember for 2026
- Theme: The Animal as Language
- Featured Exhibition: F'murrr retrospective at the Tomi Ungerer Museum
- Laura Simonati: 20 large-format posters on the Quai des Bateliers
- Independent Publishers' Fair: March 28-29 at Garage Coop
- Over 10 exhibitions throughout the city
Prices Rencontres de l'Illustration 2026
Practical information — Rencontres de l'Illustration
Practical Information
Venues
The Rencontres take place in numerous locations throughout Strasbourg:
- Tomi Ungerer Museum — 2 avenue de la Marseillaise
- Médiathèque André Malraux — Presqu'île André Malraux
- Le 5e Lieu — 5 place du Château
- HEAR – La Chaufferie — 5 rue de la Manufacture des Tabacs
- Coop — Deux-Rives district (Central Vapeur Festival)
- Neighborhood media libraries, partner bookstores, galleries
Access
By tram: Lines A, B, C, D, and E serve the various locations. Main stops: Langstross Grand'Rue (Tomi Ungerer Museum), Winston Churchill (Malraux Media Library), Starcoop (Coop).
By bike: Vélhop network available throughout the city.
Prices
The majority of exhibitions and events are free to access. Admission to the Tomi Ungerer Museum is subject to a fee (standard rate / reduced rate). Some workshops require prior registration.
Contact
Direction de la Culture — Ville et Eurométropole de Strasbourg
1 parc de l'Étoile, 67076 Strasbourg Cedex
Website: illustration.strasbourg.eu
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Where does it take place — Rencontres de l'Illustration
Musée Tomi Ungerer et lieux multiples
2 avenue de la Marseillaise, 67000 Strasbourg