The cheerful and vibrant art of Alain Grée

Jul 06, 2025

Happy Sunday, friends!

How is July treating you? I hope you’re doing well, if that’s not the case, I hope this letter can be a bit of a refresher.

For this month’s dose of vintage inspiration, we’ll see the work of a very prolific children’s book illustrator and avid sailor, a colorful poster for the predecessor of computer keyboards, a typewritter, a very cool book spread I just recently found and a poster about forest fires.

I hope you find it inspiring!

✧An illustrator: Alain Grée✧

Alain Grée (1936-2025) was an author and illustrator born in Eaubonne, France on 1936.

Alain Grée Biography (FR) | ALAIN GREE & RicoBel — Alain GRÉE

You may have seen some of his work online, I came across with it many years ago, and have featured him in The Attic before.

He studied at the l’Ecole des Arts Appliqués in Paris and during that time he made money playing bass and clarinet in jazz pubs in the Latin Quarter of Paris, which I thought it was very cool!

He also combined art with one of his other passions: sailing. In the 1970s, he and his wife Monique, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean twice. Also VERY COOL!?

As an author and illustrator of children’s books, Grée published over 300 books for several editors, most of them in the 60s and 70s which were translated around the world into 25 different languages. WOW!

I adore how colorful and well thought his illustrations are, love the vibrant warm palettes!

Alain GRÉE - 1966 - Romeo Looks for a Job

Unfortunately, Grée passed away early this year at the age of 88, but he left a lot of amazing art to be remembered for.

Alain GRÉE - Get it as a phone wallpaper at his website

In his official website you can find some of his works free for personal use, such as wallpapers for your computer or phone, planners and also paper crafts. This one actually unlocked a childhood memory of mine:

I wanted a Tamagotchi when I was a kid, but my parents wouldn’t get me one, so I decided I’d make it myself out of paper.

I used paper, pencil and the cardboard of a roll of toilet paper, the thing is that I actually made the different activities that the real Tamagotchis had - sleep, feed, play, poop? - and the mechanism was just like the paper craft from Alain Grée! Quite funny!

✧A poster: Olivetti Lettera✧

Giovanni PINTORI - 1954 - Olivetti Lettera

✧A book spread: Pelican Here, Pelican There✧

Leonard WEISGARD - 1948 - Pelican Here, Pelican There

✧A magazine cover: Cavall Fort✧

Evarist MORA - 1937 - Departament d’Agricultura Servei Forestal, repurposed as the cover of Cavall Fort’s #282 issue

I found this magazine in my grandparents house and despite it’s far from mint condition it is now framed and up in my studio wall.

Cavall Fort is a Catalan magazine for kids created in 1961, with which I have had the pleasure of collaborating several times and was something to scratch off my illustration goals list.

The artwork reads: