Ilon Wikland

Ilon Wikland is the artist who has illustrated most of Astrid Lindgren's books. She has illustrated the books Bullerbyn, Lotta på Bråkmakargatan, Bröderna Lejonhjärta, Karlsson på taket, Madicken, Mio min Mio, Nils Karlsson-Pyssling, Ronja Rövardotter, Vi på Saltkråkan and Sunnanäng. She has also illustrated picture books: The Dragon with the Red Eyes, I also want a sibling, Kajsa Kavat helps Grandma, Skinn Skerping and many more.

Ilon Wikland was born in 1930 in Estonia and came to Sweden as a refugee in 1944. She attended art school with Akke Kumlien and was able to use her history of Estonian art to create a new and unique style. In 1953 Ilon applied for a job as an illustrator at Rabén & Sjögren, whose website includes the following text:

Ilon Wikland is a versatile artist whose pictures span a wide range, from the safe idyll of Bråkmakargatan to the breathtaking black depths of Karmaforsen in The Brothers Lionheart.

Wikland has received a multiple of prizes and awards; in 1969 she received the Elsa Beskow plaque for her collected production and in 2018 she received the Swedish Publishers' Association's honorary award with the motivation:

"Ilon Wikland has a unique position and a special significance for children's literature in Sweden. Her pictures have characterised and inspired children for generations. With her atmospheric, colourful children's book illustrations as well as her sensitively vibrant black and white chapter illustrations, she is a visual storyteller of the highest order. She possesses a unique combination of emotional breadth and technical skill. In addition, her art has had a great and undeniable influence on new illustrators around the world. Ilon Wikland is the Swedish Publishers' Association's 2018 Honorary Award winner."