Who is Art (Artie) Spiegelman from The Complete Maus and what is their importance?

Artie is the author, artist, and principle narrator of the graphic text. His presentation is autobiographical and also a family biography, focused on his father's experiences as a Jew in Poland during World War II.

Artie is born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1948. Shortly after his birth his family emigrates to the United States of America. Artie grows up in Rego Park, New York. As a young man he suffers a short but serious nervous breakdown in 1968, which he refers to in Prisoner on the Hell Planet - A Case History, the comic-within-the-comic presented in Part 1, Chapter 5. After being released from the mental hospital Artie lives with his parents, Vladek and Anja Spiegelman until some time after Anja Spiegelman's suicide. As to be expected, Artie is never completely reconciled to Anja's suicide and considers her somewhat of an unknown personage. Later Artie moves out on his own and eventually lives with his girlfriend (later wife) Françoise Mouly.

Artie's relationship with Vladek is strained and difficult. Artie respects and loves, but does not like, his father. He finds Vladek penurious and insulting and believes that Vladek is purposefully unwilling to change. Although Artie spends several days interviewing Vladek to learn his life's story, he does not particularly enjoy spending social time with his father. Artie is not particularly handy with household chores and constantly urges Vladek to hire someone to perform repairs rather than attempting them himself.