Yan Nascimbene

   During my recent interview with Pam Turner, I asked her if she knew the illustrator of her book Hachiko and she did. I then arranged an interview in San Francisco with Yan Nacimbene. He was most gracious, especially since he had just moved into a new home and studio. He told me that he had met Pam fairly recently at a book party at her home. However, from the start he had a good feeling about her manuscript. For a first book, he was impressed that she did not overdo the story, which he was really taken with. Houghton Mifflin asked him if he was interested and when he expressed his desire to undertake the project, he was even consulted regarding the design. For Yan the book had to be a small size to emphasize the story's intimacy. He used the seasons and time of day to help move the story along. He commented that he and the book designer at Houghton were totally in synch.

   Going back in time, I asked Yan how he got started as a children's book illustrator. He was an art student and greatly admired the post minimalist artists like Edward Hopper. He also loves LeRoy Neiman and other artists of the 60s. After attending elementary and high schools in France and Italy, Yan spent a year in New York as a student at the School of Visual Arts and then studied at the University of California-Davis, but never graduated. He really didn't feel that he could learn anything more with formal schooling. He recounted how he arrived in New York at the age of 18 speaking no English and being very shy. When he was in California, he remembers being young and cocky-a change from his NY days. California is also where he met his wife Joan.

   Having been diagnosed with Hodgskin's Disease, Yan and his wife took early retirement since the disease didn't bode for a long life. He traveled and lived both abroad and in the US. He could do this because he was supported by a very wealthy Grandmother (Yan showed me pictures of the family estate). He never had a financial worry until he was in his mid thirties when the funds from his grandmother stopped. He had been living an easy and spoiled life, and grew up never really knowing about money and paying bills. Fortunately he had a house in Davis that was paid for. At the ripe age of 35 a friend suggested that Yan try marketing what he enjoyed doing. The result was a portfolio of his art that Yan shopped around. Mind you, he had never worked as a professional artist. "Now I would be embarrassed." But his naivety, optimism and persistence paid off. His big break came when Pierre Marchand of Gallimard Jeunesse took an interest in his work. The house was about to launch a new series of literary fiction and Yan was asked to submit a sample cover. They liked what he did and the work just kept coming, and Yan has produced 200 covers in thirteen years which in turn generated other work. The French publisher was willing to take risks and in essence try out a new artist.

   Yan loves to talk to new young illustrators, to try to bring them in touch with reality and also to help point good prospects to publishing houses that might be willing to give them a chance. He has found that the more modest artists tend to be the most talented. He also had a break when he wrote his first book about his privileged childhood (antibes clavière et autres couleurs), one that harkens back a century with nannies, gardeners and the like. The story was like a photo album. While the book was published in France, it never made it to the US, because the publishers did not feel that it would be accepted as a children's book even though it won the Graphic Award at the Bologna Book Fair in 1992. Jan' name recognition grew and even though he loved Paris, he left in 1991 in order to give his children an education in the US. He returned to Davis and spent about a dozen years there. During this time he was still working for Gallimard and many commercial clients as well as another French publisher-Seuil. He has taken on other interesting projects including posters and advertising campaigns. A true international celebrity Yan did travel quite a bit-he used to spend half a year in France before the kids started school. Now, Yan doesn't travel much, at least not alone-we all know how much more difficult travel has become and especially for those who never really enjoyed it in the first place.

   Yan also felt he had another great story and it became the book, A Day in September. Some booksellers have said that the story is too long, but he wouldn't change a word of it. It is popular in France and Japan. The book was his first for an American publisher-Creative Editions-which is part of Harcourt. This project was followed by about 20 gift books for Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. Houghton Mifflin then asked him to redo The Beautiful Christmas Tree and most recently, he created the art and layout for Hachiko. He feels that the latter was truly a better match for his art, although The Beautiful Christmas Tree did get a good review in the New York Times.

   Many children's book artists do not sell their work, but Yan does. "If you are an artist who shows in a gallery then why should a book illustrator be any different?" He considers it as part of making a living. If he keeps art on his walls, it is mostly pieces that he has traded with other artists. Otherwise, his "stuff" would just lie around in drawers. How much nicer to have it hanging on someone else's walls where it can be appreciated. He does let his wife, and children pick the pieces that they like, and they undoubtedly have wonderful collections of Jan's work. Jan's wife is also an artist, but they do not collaborate on their work. They have very different styles and mediums.

   Yan is currently working on three projects and he confessed to being late with all three. One of the projects is a book written by his wife which he has illustrated and which is scheduled to be published by The Creative Company. He is still surprised at his life and the way it has taken so many twists and turns. He has been privileged to do something no matter what the circumstances-riches to rags (not quite but it is all relative) to comfortable-and that isn't so bad. As to family which Yan discussed earlier. He has two brothers one of who is an adopted war orphan from Biafra. His grandmother who he mentioned earlier was quite the character. She was an heir to the Coty perfume family, but she managed to lose all of her money through poor investing and living a lavish lifestyle. She was not willing to take advice and according to Yan "she would not broker any disagreement." She now lives in a retirement home in southern France. The government stepped in and froze her assets and manages what little she has. She will be 100 this year. The other side of his family also had considerable wealth. His uncle was the founder of Cimka and other relatives were part of Dubonnet. All have long since lost their great wealth.

   Jan's work has been widely exhibited in the United States, France, Japan, England, Switzerland, and Italy. He is the recipient of many awards, including three Bologna International Graphic Awards and the Society of Illustrators' Silver Medal. He talked about a retrospective of his work in Geneva which should have been a great time for him, but since he was alone it was not really that much fun. He walked the streets to avoid the sterility of his hotel room. While silence and space are the ultimate luxuries in this 21st century, it is not something that Yan revels in. But perhaps like many of us things stem from ones early years and the anxieties and fears that we have to face make us what we are-and for him, his outlet is art. He loves his work and loves telling stories either in text or through his illustrations. His life has provided the inspiration for most of what he has done. As Yan put it "his life and work are one, they intersect and intertwine" and he cannot and does not wish to untangle them.

Contributor: Marilyn Courtot

For more information visit Yan at www.yannascimbene.com

Reviews

The Beautiful Christmas Tree
Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrated by Yan Nascimbene
   Mr. Crockett doesn't fit in with his rather aloof neighbors, but he doesn't seem to mind. He fixes up his house and one Christmas, he rescues a scrawny tree which he eventually plants outside in front of his house. As the years go by, he carefully nurtures the tree and it grows into a beautiful pine. The birds flock to it and it gives him much pleasure. One Christmas, a neighborhood boy who appreciates what he has done to bring beauty to the block, stops with a group of carolers and serenades the lonely Mr. Crockett. Although, the illustrations tend to be dark, they do have a very contemporary look. The message about the basic goodness of people is perfect for the holiday season. 1999 (orig. 1972), Houghton Mifflin, $15.00. Ages 6 up. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
   Mr. Crockett moves into an apartment that is run down. He begins to paint the place and clean the windows. The neighbors, who are rich, cannot believe that Mr. Crockett is trying to restore the rundown house. One day Mr. Crockett purchases a scrawny tree that even the flower man thinks is ugly. No one can figure out why Mr. Crockett buys and plants this tree. Mr. Crockett cares for the tree until it is a strong tree. One Christmas, David and the other carolers begin to sing beside the tree. The birds begin to sing also, and Mr. Crockett knows that this is love--the true meaning of Christmas. This book has beautiful illustrations that are very colorful. The pictures are illustrated with the use of watercolors to help show the true colors in the illustrator's art work. Fiction. Grades PreK-2. 1999, Houghton Mifflin, 32p, $15.00. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer Olivia Titus (Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 3)).
Best Books:
   Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001; H.W. Wilson; United States
ISBN: 0-395-91365-9

Hachiko
Pamela S. Turner
Illustrated by Yan Nascimbene
   In Tokyo's Shibuya Station, a large bronze statue of a dog watches the crowds waiting for the train. In this work of historical fiction, Pamela Turner explains the story behind the statue. Kentaro and his family have just moved to Tokyo. One day, he asks his mother if they can go to the train station to meet his father when he gets back from work. When they get there, they are not the only ones waiting for someone to get off the train. Hachiko the dog waits for his owner, Dr. Ueno, to return from work. Kentaro and Hachiko wait every day at the train station for Kentaro's father and Dr. Ueno. One day, Kentaro's father returns alone with some very sad news: Dr. Ueno died at work that morning. Hachiko refuses to give up: he waits at the train station every afternoon for almost ten years. When Hachiko finally dies at the train station, the spot where he waited so faithfully is soon covered in flowers. Later, a statue of Hachiko was erected. This touching story is accented by Nacimbene's beautiful watercolor illustrations. The true story of Hachiko and the statue is also included at the end of the book. Dog lovers of all ages will really enjoy this wonderful story inspired by true events. 2004, Houghton Mifflin, $15.00, Ages 4 up. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-618-14094-8

A Day in September
Yan Nascimbene
   Nascimbene had created a fanciful tale of a lonely rich boy living in Paris and a poor girl living in the Mojave Desert whose very different lives intersect. Young children may not easily grasp this story, but the watercolor illustrations that contrast the lives of the two children and their flights of fancy are beautiful. 1995, Creative Editions, $17.00. Ages 7 up. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 0-15-200954-X

Added 2005

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