171

JEAN-MICHEL FOLON (1934-2005). FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM CANNES. 1979. 60x45 inches, 154x114 cm. Ets Saint Martin, Asnieres.

JEAN-MICHEL FOLON (1934-2005) FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM CANNES. 1979.
60 1/2x45 inches, 154x114 1/2 cm. Ets Saint Martin, Asnieres.
Condition B+ / A-: repaired tears and creases in margins and image.
Born in Belgium in 1934, Jean-Michel Folon attended architecture school, but abandoned that career in the 1960s and moved to New York and then Paris to work on his art. He quickly distinguished himself as a talented illustrator and was known for watercolor paintings that featured wide graduations of color and recurring symbolic figures with simple outlines. Two of the most frequent motifs in his work were a featureless, hat-wearing man with glowing eyes in a deserted urban landscape, and a bird alighting from an outstretched hand. While producing a large body of work in many mediums, such as watercolor, silkscreen, sculpture and glass, Folon is best remembered for his iconic posters and his animation for French television. With his friend, composer Michel Colombier, Folon created the credit titles for Antenne 2, the French public television station, which were broadcast from 1973 to 1984. Here, for the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, he uses the same little hat-wearing character as seen in the animated Antenne film and a complex twelve-color background gradient, which he obsessively supervised until it was printed to his satisfaction. In his naive, surrealistic style, he transforms the hat into a movie screen with a "third eye" glowing in the forehead. Towards the end of his career, he moved to Monaco and devoted himself to sculpture and designing stamps and posters for Amnesty International and other human rights groups.

  • Condition: All items are offered for sale subject to Swann Galleries' standard terms and conditions of sale, which are published in our catalogues.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Upon request, Swann will facilitate the shipping of purchases to out-of-town buyers at an additional charge for packing, shipping and insurance, but will not be responsible for any loss, damage or delay resulting from the packing, handling and shipping thereof. Unless specific instructions are received, Swann is the sole judge of the method to be used for shipment. Packing and shipping costs will be noted on the invoice mailed to successful bidders after the sale, and are based on the actual costs involved. Be advised that a full commercial invoice must accompany any purchase shipped outside the US.

May 21, 2009 1:30 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

Swann Auction Galleries

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 23% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $149 $10
$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 + $50,000