Eat, 1967, 1994

Illustrator Tomi Ungerer’s best-known radical protest poster, this print was first made in 1967 in response to the Vietnam War. Quintessential of the artist’s boldly etched caricature style and acerbic satire, it features a white person’s business-suited arm emblazoned with the word “EAT” shoving the Statue of Liberty into the mouth of a yellow man with slanted eyes—a violent visualization of America forcing its ideals on the Vietnamese people. New York Times critic Robert Smith lauded this work in a 2015 review saying, “It has lost none of its vehemence and, with a slight change in ethnic type, could have protested the 2003 invasion of Iraq to uncover weapons of mass destruction while spreading democracy.”

Read the full Roberta Smith review here. 

Tomi Ungerer is best known for his witty children's books, as well as being a successful political commentator, prolific writer, and erotic artist. Born in Strasbourg in 1931, he first gained notoriety after moving to New York in 1956 and creating illustrations for magazines such as Esquire, Life, Harper's Bazaar, The Village Voice, and The New York Times. Ungerer is now internationally renowned for his etched caricatures imbued with sharp social satire—a style maintained in his children's books, which he began to publish with Harper and Row in 1957. These books include such fantastical tales as “The Mellops Go Flying,” (1957) about a family of daring pigs, "The Three Robbers" (1962) a classic French and German story about bandits made honest by an orphan girl, and "Moon Man" (1967) about the man in the moon's adventure to Earth.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s Ungerer began to branch out from advertising and editorial work to make personal pictorial responses to racism, fascism, and war—most notably a set of brutal anti-Vietnam War posters. In the 1970s he began to draw erotic illustrations for adult books—which he continues, in addition to children’s books, since moving to Ireland in 1976.

Ungerer's work has been shown internationally including a retrospective exhibition that traveled from the Louvre to Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Dublin, and the Royal Festival Hall in London; as well as solo exhibitions at Itabashi Art Museum in Tokyo, Strasbourg's Museum of Modern Art, and Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, Germany. The Council of Europe chose Tomi Ungerer as their first Ambassador for Childhood and Education and he has been awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Prize for children's literature. In 2007 a museum dedicated solely to the artist’s work and collections opened in Strasbourg.

All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly and sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.

All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.

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For images up to 30" x 40"

• 1 1/4” wide, 3/4” deep, with a 2 1/2” wide mat.
• We generally leave 1/4” - 1/2” of paper showing around the image, to accommodate signatures and for visual appeal.

For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40" please contact an Artspace advisor for a custom quote.

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This work is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt of delivery.

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