Highlighting My Favorite Artists: Lisbeth Zwerger

Lisbeth Zwerger is an Austrian children’s book illustrator. For her "lasting contribution to children's literature," she received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1990.

Zwerger was born in Vienna in 1954. She studied at the Applied Arts Academy of Vienna from 1971 to 1974 but left before completing her studies. Since the publication of her first illustrated book, Das Fremde Kind, in 1977, she has worked as a freelance illustrator in Vienna.

Her style follows that of 19th-century English illustrators, and she acknowledges being influenced by the work of Arthur Rackham. Using watercolor as her primary medium, she creates work with a strong sense of color harmony and softness. The shape language present in her compositions creates varying atmospheres, drawing the viewer into the worlds she paints. The gesture in her characters is emotive and very much alive. To top it all off, her compositions effectively convey storylines and moods.

The Wizard of Oz

Tales From the Brothers Grimm

Alice in Wonderland