Artist Spotlight: Daniel Egnéus

Daniel Egnéus’ dreamy, lucid illustrations are made all the more impressive by the fact that he has received no formal training in the fine arts. According to Egnéus, his only education has been “life itself.”

Born in Sweden in 1972, Egnéus has dedicated twenty years of his life to globe-trotting: He lived in Prague, London, Berlin, Bologna, and Rome before finally settling down with his girlfriend in Milano. The rich, vibrant cultures he has encountered on his many adventures have made their way into all of his work in one form or another. He also cites his daydreams as a constant source of inspiration.

His client list is massive and ever-expanding, and includes the likes of Häagen-Dazs, BMW, Pepsi-Cola de España, Penguin Books, Nike, H&M, Adidas, Audi, and Drambuie Whiskey, among countless others. Because of the success of his work, it should come as no surprise that Egnéus is the recipient of numerous (very prestigious) awards and sponsorships. In March 2005, Egnéus was voted Best Illustrator by the Association of Illustrators in the UK for his work for the Pori Jazz Festival, and in late 2009, he was sponsored by Audi at Art Basel in Miami. (They also created an over-sized book of his illustrations for the event.) As if that weren’t enough, he has published many illustrated books, one of which (The Hot Dog-Cook Book) won the Prix Gourmand in for Best Illustrated Cookbook in France (2008).

For more information on Daniel Egnéus’ work, please visit his website.