Oliver Jeffers
“ A lot of my art has been about duality and looking at things from two perspectives. I had a wonderful upbringing in Belfast. Yes, I saw some terrible things. Yes, I learned that people have an awful tendency to be mean to each other and inflict violence, but I also saw the capacity for love. I think I learned the importance of tolerance at an early age.”
Born in Australia and raised in Northern Ireland, Oliver Jeffers is an award-winning artist, illustrator, and writer. From figurative painting and installation to illustration and picture-book making, Oliver’s work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in prestigious institutions all over the world.
Oliver has sold more than 10 million picture books - including Here We Are, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, This Moose Belongs to Me, and Once Upon an Alphabet. His wildly popular book, The Day The Crayons Quit, and its sequel, The Day The Crayons Came Home, were both #1 NY Times bestsellers. His books have been translated into over 30 languages. Working in collaboration with Studio AKA, Oliver’s second book, Lost and Found, was developed into an animated short film that has received over sixty awards, including a BAFTA for Best Animated Short Film.
Picture book awards include the The Ragazzi Award for Fiction, The New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Smarties Award, Irish Book of the Year, The Red House Book Award, British Book Design Award, and The Blue Peter Book of the Year. Oliver won a New York Emmy Award in 2010 for his collaborative work with artist and director Mac Premo. In 2013, Oliver co-directed the video for Ordinary Love by U2, and more recently created and helped direct art for U2’s Innocence and Experience World Tour.
Oliver now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, son, and daughter.
Related Exhibitions: Oliver Jeffers: 15 Years of Picturing Books (2018)