Folon Jean-Michel

Jean-Michel Folon was a Belgian artist, born in 1934 in Ukkel/Brussels and passed away in 2005 in Monaco. He was a painter, illustrator, watercolorist, designer of posters and tapestries, and a sculptor. He abandoned his architectural studies to fully dedicate himself to the art of drawing. Folon created short films and illustrated a book published by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His first exhibition took place there in 1969, followed by another in Tokyo in 1970. Folon became especially known for his delicate watercolors. His main source of inspiration was the harsh and insensitive modern world, which he transformed through his poetic vision and subtle, sometimes biting humor. Often, he depicted a simple, lonely figure placed in absurd situations. His drawings appeared in numerous international publications, and he designed various covers for "The New Yorker." The press described him as having "an eye for ordinary things, for birds and the moon, for bright yet slightly weathered colors. Some of his motif-based characters have become known worldwide." In 1975, he created a 150-square-meter landscape for Waterloo Station in London, followed by "Magic City" for the Montgomery metro station in Brussels. In 1997, his memorial for missing children (an open hand with a flying dove) was unveiled in the Warandepark in Brussels. Folon later settled in Burcy, near Paris. In 2000, a foundation bearing his name was established, located in the old farm of the Château de Terhulpen on the Solvay estate. He is listed in BAS I and "Twee eeuwen signaturen van Belgische kunstenaars" (Piron).