Robert Ingpen facts for kids

Robert Roger Ingpen, born on October 13, 1936, is a talented Australian artist. He is known as a graphic designer, an illustrator, and a writer. He received a very special award called the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1986. This award is given every two years to someone who has made a huge and lasting contribution as a children's book illustrator.

Robert Ingpen's Early Life and Education

Robert Ingpen was born in Geelong, a city in Victoria, Australia. He went to The Geelong College until 1957. In 1958, he earned a Diploma of Graphic Art from RMIT. There, he studied art with a famous artist named Harold Freedman.

Robert Ingpen's Career Journey

In 1958, Robert Ingpen started working for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). His job was to create art that helped explain scientific research findings. Later, in 1968, Ingpen decided to work for himself as a freelance designer, illustrator, and author.

He also worked with the United Nations in Mexico and Peru until 1975. During this time, he designed booklets about fishing. He also helped with many projects in Australia that focused on protecting nature and the environment. Ingpen cared a lot about nature. He was one of the people who helped start the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Robert Ingpen's Creative Works

The flag of the Northern Territory, designed by Robert Ingpen.

Robert Ingpen has written or illustrated more than 100 books. These books include picture books for young children. He also created fictional stories for readers of all ages. His non-fiction books often cover topics like history, protecting the environment, and health. He often worked with an author and editor named Michael Page.

Ingpen has designed many postage stamps for Australia. He also designed the flag and coat of arms for the Northern Territory. You can see his public murals in cities like Geelong, Melbourne, Canberra, and the Gold Coast. He has also designed bronze statues. These include the Poppykettle Fountain in Geelong and the bronze doors for the Melbourne Cricket Club. He also designed a tapestry to celebrate 150 years of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In 1982, Ingpen designed the Dromkeen Medal. This medal is given each year to Australians who have made important contributions to children's literature. Ingpen himself received this medal in 1989 for his own work.

Ingpen illustrated special anniversary editions of classic children's books. These include J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. For these books, he based his character drawings on real people.

In 2007, Ingpen illustrated a picture book called Ziba Came on a Boat. This book was written by Liz Lofthouse. It was nominated for many awards in Australia.

Robert Ingpen's Exhibitions

In 1999, Robert Ingpen had a large art show in Taipei. This show then traveled to other parts of Taiwan for two months. Also in 1999, an exhibition of his original artworks for Around the World in Eighty Days was held in London.

In 2002, Ingpen had a solo exhibition in Bologna, Italy. His artworks inspired by Shakespeare were shown in New York City.

In 2002, Ingpen's art was featured in the first exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts. He gave the museum his illustrations for Charise Neugebauer's book Halloween Circus at the Graveyard Lawn.

Awards and Recognition for Robert Ingpen

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is a very important award. It is given by the International Board on Books for Young People. It is the highest honor for a children's book writer or illustrator. Robert Ingpen won the illustration award in 1986. Patricia Wrightson won the writing award that same year. They are still the only Australians to have received these medals. Ingpen had illustrated Wrightson's famous book, The Nargun and the Stars (1973). This was a fantasy story based on Australian Aboriginal mythology.

He received the Australian Dromkeen Medal in 1989. In 2005, he was given an honorary doctor of arts degree by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In 2007, he became a member of the Order of Australia. This was for his great work as an illustrator and author of children's books. It also recognized his contributions to art design, education, and supporting health care groups.

Here are some awards for his specific works:

• Visual Arts Board award for children's book illustration for Storm Boy.
• In 1980, River Murray Mary was praised in the Children's Book of the Year awards.
• In 1980, he won the Ditmar Award for Australian Gnomes.

Robert Ingpen's Books

Books Illustrated by Robert Ingpen

• Storm Boy (1974) by Colin Thiele
• The Runaway Punt (1976) by Michael F. Page
• Lincoln's Place (1978) by Colin Thiele
• Chadwick's Chimney (1979) by Colin Thiele
• River Murray Mary (1979) by Colin Thiele
• Night of the Muttonbirds (1981) by Mary Small
• Clancy of the Overflow (1982) by Banjo Paterson
• Click Go the Shears (1986)
• The Stolen White Elephant (1987) by Mark Twain
• Child's Story (1988) by Charles Dickens
• A Christmas Tree (1988) by Charles Dickens
• The Nargun and the Stars (1988) by Patricia Wrightson
• Peacetimes (1989) by Katherine Scholes
• The Great Deeds of Superheroes (1989) by Maurice Saxby
• The Great Deeds of Heroic Women (1990) by Maurice Saxby
• Brahminy: the Story of a Boy and a Sea Eagle (c1995) by Colin Thiele
• The Drover's Boy (1997) by Ted Egan
• Jacob, the Boy from Nuremberg (1998) by Enjar Agertoft
• The Poppykettle Papers (1999) by Michael Lawrence
• Who is the World For? (2000) by Tom Pow
• Shakespeare: His Work and His World (2001) by Michael Rosen
• Halloween Circus (2002) by Charise Neugebauer
• The Tapestry Story: Celebrating 150 Years of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (2003) by Keith Dunstan
• The Wizard's Book of Spells (2003) by Beatrice Phillpotts
• The Magic Crystal (ca. 2003) by Brigitte Weninger
• Dickens: His Work and His World (2005) by Michael Rosen
• Mustara (2007) by Rosanne Hawke
• Ziba Came on a Boat (2008) by Liz Lofthouse

Illustrated Children's Classics

• Around the World in Eighty Days (2000) by Jules Verne
• Peter Pan and Wendy (2004) by J. M. Barrie, centenary edition
• Treasure Island (2005) by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Ugly Duckling (2005) by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Jungle Book (2006) by Rudyard Kipling
• The Wind in the Willows (2007) by Kenneth Grahame, centenary edition
• A Christmas Carol and "A Christmas Tree" (2008) by Charles Dickens
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2009) by Lewis Carroll
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2010) by Mark Twain
• The Night Before Christmas (2010) by Clement C. Moore
• The Secret Garden (2010) by Frances Hodgson Burnett, centenary edition
• Around the World in Eighty Days (2011) by Jules Verne
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2011) by L. Frank Baum
• The Owl and the Pussycat and Other Nonsense (2012) by Edward Lear
• Just So Stories (2013) by Rudyard Kipling
• The Adventures of Pinocchio (2014) by Carlo Collodi

Fiction Books Written by Robert Ingpen

• Poppykettle series:
  • Australian Gnomes (1979)
  • The Voyage of the Poppykettle (1980)
  • The Unchosen Land (1981)
• Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between (1983) by Ingpen and Bryan Mellonie
• The Great Bullocky Race (1984) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• The Idle Bear (1986)
• Out of This World: the Complete Book of Fantasy (1986) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• The Age of Acorns (1988)
• The Dreamkeeper: a Letter from Robert Ingpen to His Granddaughter Alice Elizabeth (1995)
• The Afternoon Treehouse (1996)
• Folk Tales & Fables of Asia & Australia (1992) by Ingpen and Barbara Hayes
• Once Upon a Place (1999)
• A Bear Tale (2000)
• The Rare Bear (2004)

Non-Fiction Books Written by Robert Ingpen

• Pioneers of Wool (1972)
• Pioneer Settlement in Australia (1973)
• Robe: a Portrait of the Past (1975)
• Don Dunstan's Cookbook (1976)
• Paradise and Beyond: Tasmania (1978) by Ingpen and N.C.K. Evers
• Australian Gnomes (1979)
• Marking Time: Australia's Abandoned Buildings (1979)
• Australia's Heritage Watch: an Overview of Australian Conservation (1981)
• Aussie Battlers (1982) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• Australian Inventions and Innovations (1982) by Ingpen, Sally Carruthers, and others
• Colonial South Australia: Its People and Buildings (1985) by Michael Fitzgerald Page
• Worldly Dogs (1986) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• The Making of Australians (1987) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• Conservation (1987) by Ingpen and Margaret Dunkle
• Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places, and People (1987) by Ingpen and Michael Fitzgerald Page
• A Celebration of Customs & Rituals of the World (1994) by Ingpen and Philip Wilkinson
• Encyclopedia of Mysterious Places: the Life and Legends of Ancient Sites Around the World (1990) by Ingpen and Wilkinson
• In the Wake of the Mary Celeste (c. 2004) by Ingpen and Gary Crew
• Imprints of Generations (2006)
• The Boy from Bowral: the Story of Sir Donald Bradman (2007)
• Looking for Clancy (National Library of Australia, 2013), featuring "Clancy of the Overflow" by A.B. Paterson

See also

In Spanish: Robert Ingpen para niños