Foundation Prize
Laureate 2009
Philippe Chappuis, alias Zep
2009 Prize awarded to Philippe Chappuis, alias Zep, cartoonist and author of "Titeuf" comics
Monday, May 25, 2009 at 8:00 pm, Palexpo, Geneva
An artist from Geneva honored by the city of Calvin
Philippe Chappuis was born on December 15, 1967 in Onex. A complete artist, he has developed a unique and contemporary pencil stroke. A graduate of the School of Decorative Arts of the City of Geneva, he created, in 1979, his first magazine entitled Zep in honor of Led Zeppelin. Twenty years later, his character Titeuf, created in 1992, became a worldwide success. The comic strips featuring the little boy with the rebellious blond hair, whose adventures take place in a school in a Geneva neighborhood, have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. This huge success has allowed Zep to imagine new projects such as “Le Guide du zizi sexuel” or “Zizi sexuel, l’expo” in collaboration with his partner Hélène Bruller.
Zep has been honored with numerous awards at the most important comic book festivals. In 2004, he became the youngest cartoonist to receive the Angoulême Grand Prix. However, his city of birth and residence, Geneva, had never yet paid tribute to him. Now, it is done. On the occasion of the “Zizi sexuel, l’expo” organized by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the President of the Foundation for Geneva, Mr. Guillaume Pictet, the cartoonist Patrick Chapatte as well as the Geneva authorities represented by the State Councillor of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, Mr. Charles Beer and by the Mayor of the City of Geneva, Mr. Manuel Tornare, have paid tribute to this outstanding creator whose success contributes to the influence of Geneva in Switzerland and in the world.
The Board of the Fondation pour Genève also wished to pay tribute to the entire Geneva creative arts community through one of its most fervent ambassadors throughout the world – Philippe Chapuis alias Zep. By its decision to award this year’s Prize to an artist from the Geneva cultural milieu and to organize a ceremony marked by creativity and modernity, the Fondation pour Genève thus testifies to the existence in Geneva of a strong artistic pole, which participates alongside other world centers of expertise in the international influence of our region.
