Gabrielle Vincent

A Belgian illustrator, author and painter, Gabrielle Vincent (1928–2000) is the famous creator of Ernest & Celestine, her masterpiece. Gabrielle Vincent illustrates this story with infinite tenderness through small impressionistic touches and minimalistic lines. With great delicacy and lightness, she manages to convey emotions, movement and light, while subtly exploring themes such as friendship, tolerance, solidarity, abandonment, precariousness, illness and love. Her vibrant artwork has earned her the admiration of her peers.

In 2023, Daniel Maghen held the very first auction dedicated to Gabrielle Vincent, which achieved excellent results “under the hammer” with a catalog entirely devoted to her masterpiece Ernest et Célestine. The top lot was the cover of the very first album in the series, Ernest and Célestine ont perdu Siméon (Ernest and Célestine Lost Siméon, 1981), estimated at €6,000 and sold for €19,500, setting a new world record for the artist.

To preserve your works on paper, we recommend that you never expose them to direct light, as UV rays can damage the mediums used. Paintings made with pastel or charcoal require special care to avoid rubbing. Works containing watercolor are particularly sensitive to light, unlike gouache and acrylic.
We advise you to display them away from windows, and to use frames made from pH-neutral conservation materials and “Museum” glass with anti-UV and anti-reflective treatment. If you prefer to keep your works unframed, we recommend storing them flat, in drawing cartons, with sheets of pH-neutral permanent paper in between. Keep them away from light and humidity.

Monique Martin, known as Gabrielle Vincent (1928–2000), was a Belgian artist trained at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts, initially recognized as a painter. She later gained international fame for her illustrated books. In 1980, she created Ernest et Célestine, a classic of children’s literature that has been translated into many languages and won numerous awards. Her work, which is still in print, has also been adapted for film and television.