Jean-Leon Huens
Jean Leon Huens (February 1st 1921 - May 24th 1982) is a Belgian illustrator .
Biography
If Jean-Leon Huens had been born with the the United States, its name would be known whole world and would be registered on the list of the graphic giants such Norman Rockwell, James Montgomery Flagg or Christie H. Chandler… to quote only some representative examples.Born on December 1st, 1921, with Melsbroek, once its finished schooling, it will continue its studies at the Saint-Luc Institute and will finish them with the Institute of higher learning of decorative Arts of Cambre, with Brussels, departure of a life rich in various work. This artist, with the noble of term, respectful direction of his public and a rare discretion within the advertizing mediums that he attended, has, one is unaware of it too often, carried out a multitude of wonders so much in the fields of the illustration of books for children (pilot the remarkable albums of tales published as of the immediate post-war period by the editions Casterman in collaboration with Jeanne Cappe, historian of the book intended for youth: Cendrillon and other tales of Perrault , the little girl with the matches , Blondine, good-Hind and beautiful-Minon ), that greetings cards and calendars published by and for prestigious printers (of which workshops of photoengraving De Schutter with Antwerp), become today of invaluable collector's items.
As of 1949, it will be seen entrusting by Jean-Jacques Schellens the realization of covers for the famous collection " Marabout ".
For the newspaper Tintin , newspaper headlight of the school known as “of Brussels”, it will carry out with an insane talent a multitude of illustrations for tales, novels and news, inter alia about fifty illustrations for the novel of Jean d' Esme, the Red Gods .
Hergé, discoverer of talents and amateur of graphic designers of quality, had one of the first the revelation of an illuminator of big class. Superb work also should be mentioned illustrating the work of great writers and essay writers Belgian such as Marie Gevers and Marcel Lobet, for the editions Desclée-With Brouwer and the Durendal editions.
Since 1946, it founds, with his brother Etienne, the Historia company which gives itself for goal popularization of the History of Belgium thanks to the famous collection of chromos " Our Gloires". In fifteen years, more than 400 miniatures which are and will remain always the ambassadresses of an extraordinary talent. Generations of schoolboys found an interest during Histoire through this remarkable fresco illustrating with force meticulousness and rigor the great moments of our history; generations of teachers are grateful to him to have created a didactic tool rich, able to collect the attention of the most hardened dunces. Each one of these little marvels astonishes by the variety by tons, by the setting in scene, the precision of the drawing and the least details, the expression of the characters and the originality of the compositions presented. It is necessary to see and to contemplate the originals, which, extraordinary thing, were carried out life size with brushes with one or two hairs! Born miniaturist, Jean-Leon Huens seems the direct successor of Van Eyck, Memling or Fouquet. Always for the Historia company, it will carry out in the tread more than one about thirty chromos for the collection " The Heritage européen" …
In the years '60, definitely too little supported by the Belgian editors, he addresses to others and not the least abroad. Those made quickly recognize its genius and are filled with enthusiasm with the sight of the quality of its work. Will begin the American adventure which will be marked out masterpieces until May 24th, 1982, date of its unexpected death with Benisa (Alicante, Spain). Huens will be published as a cover for the Saturday Evening Post , of very famous the National Geographic Magazine for which it illustrates great historical retrospectives abundantly (May 1974: Seven men who solved riddles off the cosmos, February 1975: Sir Francis Drake, July 1980: Ancient Bulgaria' S golden delicious treasures, December 1983: Byzantine The Worsens), as in the famous Reader' S Digest where it delivers drawings for a good score of novels for youth. Corgi Books, Penguin Books and Dell Publishing, specialists in paperbacks, order many illustrations related to fantastic topics, new tales or traditional legends to him.
Jean-Leon Huens obtained the Belgian national price of Via Secura for the countryside against intoxication at the wheel in 1971. A share of its work and its work will be exposed to the museum of the Book of Brussels in 1951 and to the royal Bibliothèque in 1977 within the framework of the exposure the Book illustrated in Occident of the Early middle ages to our days. In 1993 still, Society off Illustrators will expose, with the Museum off American Illustration in New York, a whole of 20 work centered on the parts of W. Shakespeare, completed at the end of the Seventies and presented for the first time to the public. January 11th with the February 27th 1994, the Belgian Center of the Cartoon will devote to him a vast retrospective showing of the illustrations of books for children, the covers of the newspaper Tintin , the drawings for the tales and serials published in this magazine, of the covers of paperbacks, the greetings cards, the originals of the collection “Our Glories” and a selection of drawings carried out for various American editors. The exposure was supplemented by a slide show showing the various stages of progress of the work of the artist and making it possible to the spectators to make of advantage knowledge with L `art of an illustrator among most talented of its generation, all continents confused. Holder many certificates off merit of the " Society off Illustrators" of New York as of 1962, Jean-Leon Huens will be introduced twenty years after its death, in June 2002, in the prestigious " Hall off Fame" same company.
illustrated History of Belgium (Volume 1) Belgian people, of the origins in Xve century , Root, 2002. -->
Illustrated books and articles (nonexhaustive list)
- On the track of the green fir tree , Casterman, 1945
- White-Snow and other tales of Grimm , Casterman, 1947
- Tales of Contesse de Ségur , Casterman, 1948
- Several covers of [[Newspaper of Tintin], 1948 to 1963] the
- the Red Gods , Newspaper of Tintin, 1949 to 1950
- Our glories (flight 1 to 6), Historia, 1949 to 1961
- Once upon has time stories , Casterman, 1959
- '' Saturday Evening Post '', October 23rd, 1965
- The name was Rawlins… The town was Deadwood... The job was revenge… , Corgi Books, 1971
- Seven men who solved riddles off the cosmos , National Geographic Magazine, May 1974
- Sir Francis Drake , National Geographic Magazine, February 1975
- Arthur Rex-King Arthur , Delacorte Near, 1978
- White Snake Castle , Dell Publishing, 1979
- Ancient Bulgaria' S golden delicious treasures , National Geographic Magazine, July 1980
- Dragon' S blood , Dell Publishing, 1982
- The Byzantine Worsens , National Geographic Magazine, December 1983
- the hidden princess , Duculot, 1996.
- illustrated History of Belgium (Volume 1) Belgian people, of the origins at the 15th century , Root, 2002.
- illustrated History of Belgium (Volume 2) the Belgian State of the , Root, 2003.
- illustrated History of Belgium (Volume 3) the Kingdom of Belgium , Root, 2003.
Honors
- 2002 - Introduction into the “Hall off Famed” of Society off Illustrators of New York.
- 2006 - Inauguration of a space commemorative located in the Funds of the Water of Pesche, with the place known as of the Bridge of Pierre.