Benjamin Lacombe: Reimagining the Classics

Benjamin Lacombe is a French author and illustrator, born in Paris on July 12, 1982. He is considered one of the leading figures of the new generation of French illustration.

In 2001, he began his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) in Paris. While still a student, he worked in advertising and animation. At the age of nineteen, he published his first graphic novel, followed by several illustrated books.

His graduation project, Cerise Griotte (Cherry and Olive), became his first children’s book. It was published by Seuil Jeunesse in March 2006, then by Walker Books in the United States the following year and was selected as one of Time magazine’s “10 Best Children’s Books” in 2007.

Since then, Benjamin Lacombe has written and illustrated more than thirty books, with over three million copies sold worldwide. Many of his works have been translated into more than ten languages, including Généalogie d’une Sorcière (Genealogy of a Witch), L’Herbier des Fées (The Fairy Herbarium), Les Contes Macabres (Tales of the Macabre), Les Fantômes du Japon (The Ghosts of Japan), Frida, Monsieur le Lapin Blanc (Mister White Rabbit), Dorian Gray, and L’Enfance du Père Noël (The Childhood of Santa Claus).

His work is regularly exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries around the world, including Museo ABC (Madrid), the Louvre-Lens, the Château de Chambord, Tenoha (Milan), Haven Gallery (New York), Dorothy Circus (Rome), Maruzen (Tokyo), Gallery Nucleus (Los Angeles), and his main gallery, Galerie Daniel Maghen in Paris.

Benjamin Lacombe lives and works in Paris with his dogs and cat, Edward, Jingu and Emily who often make discreet appearances in his books.