Prochain point : lat="49.132" lon="2.05342"
André François (1915 - 2005)
A leading light in graphic arts of the 20th century
A French man at heart in Grisy…
André Farkas was born in 1915 in a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which later became Romania. After studying at the Budapest Academy of Arts, he went to Paris in 1933. He chose André François as his stage name, because of his love for French language and culture. He acquired French nationality in 1939. Just after the Second World War, he moved to Grisy-les-Plâtres with his wife and his two children, where he created a studio in the attic of his house. His painting was inspired by the “beautés secrètes et des subtilités des paysages” of the Vexin area. In 1973, his son, who had become an architect, built a 140 sq.m studio for him in the garden. In December 2002, his studio burnt down destroying many works and all of his archives. After a period of dejection, he went on to use this experience in his work by using burnt fragments found in the ruins.
… with great creativity
Painter, poster artist, illustrator, sculptor, engraver, this artist mastered lots of techniques and materials. He found his way to the illustration, mainly for books by Jacques Prévert, Raymond Queneau or Boris Vian. From the 50s, he extended his illustration work to children's books. In 1968, he drew the emblem of the publishing house « l’Ecole des Loisirs ». His name became popular all over the world, mainly thanks to his collaboration with several newspapers, such as Le Monde (that published his Bestiary every week for a year), Le Nouvel Observateur, The New Yorker and so on. His drawings, based on vigorous strokes, bear the mark of a gentle humour against conventions.
