Scheffler discussed his views on the Brexit referendum with Katya Adler, BBC’s Europe Editor, before introducing the artwork to a Hay Festival audience from his book Drawing Europe Together. He said “I haven’t found a Pro-Brexit illustrator yet but I am sure they must exist”.
The German born illustrator, who now lives in London, showed the audience a range of art work, which he said showed “astute political” commentary.
He showed pictures from Marta Altés, which depicted one bird leaving a nest and taking one stick with it, which put the rest in danger of falling apart.
The late Judith Kerr, German-born British writer and illustrator of The Tiger who came to Tea also contributed with an illustration of Tiger and Mog holding European flags.
There was also an illustration by Neal Layton called “mission abort”, where a rocket was drawn leaving a circle of EU stars with the caption “I’m turning back. There’s nothing out here”.
Adler did note that the country remains extremely divided about Brexit. She said, this book clearly has a “cry for [the referendum] to be reversed… but we know not everyone agrees with that”.
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Picture by Chris Athanasiou