Cartoon by Royer. Translation: "He could make me swallow anything, De Croo [referring to politician Herman De Croo] is that attractive." - "I would do it too." - "GERMAINE!!" - "Certainly, if he were younger."
Raoul Debroeyer, who signed with the pseudonym Royer, was a Belgian caricaturist and political cartoonist. He was best-known as the house cartoonist of the Walloon newspaper Le Soir (1979-2000s). Royer's work won various awards and was the subject of several exhibitions. In 1999, he also became the first Belgian political cartoonist to be knighted.
Early life and career
Raoul Debroeyer was born in 1933 in Ruisbroek, Brabant (nowadays Flemish Brabant). A graduate of the Sint-Lukas School of Arts in Brussels, his graphic career took off in 1956 at the political weekly magazine Pourquoi Pas?, designing several cover illustrations. Afterwards, in the mid-1960s, Royer was employed by an advertising agency before turning freelance. Royer specialized in political and gag cartoons, made for magazines and papers like La Dernière Heure, Eos, Knack and Pan. Among his graphic influences were Pierre-August Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt Van Rijn and Pablo Picasso.
7 August 1993 cartoon by Royer about the death of the Belgian king Baudouin/Boudewijn.
Le Soir
From 1979 through halfway through the 2000s, Royer was house cartoonist for the newspaper Le Soir. His drawings also ran in the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad for 25 years. His cartoons have been collected in the books 'La Femme' (Paul Legrain, 1991), 'Histoires de Martens VIII' (Le Soir, 1991), 'Caricatures Politiques: Hommage à André Cools' (Flémalle, La Châtaginerale, 1992), 'Les Années Dehaene' (Le Soir, 1994), 'Jean-Luc à des Ennuis' (Le Soir, 1997) and the anthology work '20 Ans de Dessins' (Le Soir, 1999).
On 31 July 1993, the Belgian king Baudouin/Boudewijn died unexpectedly. Royer made a drawing of queen Fabiola's silhouette walking next to her late husband, of whom only his shadow can be seen. It was printed in Le Soir on 7 August. Coincidentally, his colleague Gal (Gerard Alsteens), made a similar drawing, showing Fabiola walking next to Boudewijn's non-existent body, with only his footsteps appearing in the sand. Gal's drawing appeared in print a day earlier, in the 6 August 1993 issue of the weekly Markant.
Cartoon by Royer. Translation: "My heart hurts."
Graphic contributions
During his career, Royer livened up the pages of various books, including Jean Muno's 'Entre Les Lignes' (Paul Legrain, 1983) and Alexis Curvers' 'Variations Sur Le Thème de l'Arbre' (Honeywell Bull, 1983). The latter book was also translated into Dutch by Jef Anthierens as 'Variaties Op Eenzelfde Thema: De Boom'. Royer additionally illustrated Michel Géoris' 'Contes Baroques' (L'Instant Onirique', 1985), Lens' 'Jeux de Mots, Jeux de Coeur' (Art Associés, 1987), Charles Bricman's 'La Politique Autrement' (Paul Legrain, 1989) and Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb's 'Démocratie Belge: Essai de Présentation Cohérente' (Duculot, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1990). The latter book was also translated into Dutch and German.
Cartoon by Royer.
Recognition
Royer received the Press Award (1982) at the 21th edition of the Cartoon Festival of Knokke. In 1986, his cartoons were exhibited in the Museum of Ixelles, an expo visited by king Baudouin/Boudewijn. The same year, on 30 August 1986, Royer also designed a stamp to celebrate the "Year of Philately for the Youth" during the International Festival of Graphic and Satirical Humor in Knokke. On 10 July 1999, Royer became the first Belgian journalist and political cartoonist to be knighted. Between 6 September and 5 October 2003, 110 of his cartoons were exhibited at the Ecuries in Waterloo. On 4 April 2014, Royer was honored at the Seed Factory in Brussels.
Death and legacy
Royer passed away in 2023, at age 89, in Anderlecht. By the time of his death, he had been blind for quite some years. His work was an influence on Marec. Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene named Royer "one of the grandmasters of Belgian political caricaturists, along with Gal (Gerard Alsteens)."
Cartoon by Royer.