María Hesse (adopted Sevillian, born in 1982) became an illustrator at the age of six. She didn’t know it yet, but her teacher and mother did. Nowadays, she is a major bestseller in Spain and Latin America, and her work has been translated into 18 languages.
After completing her studies in Special Education, she picked up her pencils and took the plunge into professional illustration. She has worked with various publishers, magazines, and commercial brands, and her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions. Following the publishing phenomenon of her first illustrated book, Frida Kahlo. Una biografía (Lumen, 2016), which won the Brazilian National Foundation for Children’s and Youth Literature Award, Lumen has published all her subsequent books, and she also collaborates on other editorial projects.
Her books have been translated into more than fifteen languages, becoming bestsellers in several countries. In 2021, she received the Cosmopolitan Influencer Award in the Art category.