André François was born to a Hungarian family in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (now Timisoara, Romania). He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest (1932–33). He moved to Paris in 1934 and entered to the atelier of the famous poster artist Adolphe Cassandre (1935–36). He became a French citizen in 1939.
He worked as a painter, sculptor and graphic designer, but is best remembered for his cartoons, whose subtle humour and wide influence bear comparison to those of Saul Steinberg. François initially worked for French leftist newspapers (eg. Le Nouvel Observateur) and illustrated books by authors such as Jacques Prévert, but gradually reached a larger audience, publishing in leading magazines of the United Kingdom (Punch) and in the United States (The New Yorker). He also did a masterpiece cover illustration of the 1965 UK Penguin paperback edition of “Lord of the Flies.” He became a close friend and collaborator of cartoonist Ronald Searle. He was member of Alliance Graphique Internationale. He died in his home in Grisy-les-Plâtres in Val-d’Oise department in 2005.
For full biographical notes on André François, and for earlier works, see part 1 also.
This is part 2 of a 3-part post on the works of André François:
1958 Roland:
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| Front Cover |
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| Title Page |
1958 The Half-Naked Knight:
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| Front Cover |
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| Title Page |
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c1961 Au Printemps "Spring"
poster |
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1962 Punch magazine 14 November
original artwork |
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| 1962 Punch magazine 14 November |
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| 1962 Punch magazine March 28 |
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1963 Penguin Modern Classics
"As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner |
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| 1963 Punch magazine March 13 |
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| 1964 The New Yorker June 20 |
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1964 A Penguin Book
Soldier's Pay by William Faulkner |
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| 1964 Punch magazine June 10 |
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| 1964 The Penguin André François |
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| c1964 Au Printemps spring poster |
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| 1965 The New Yorker February 6 |
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| 1965 The New Yorker September 18 |
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1965 Penguin Books
The Unvanquished by William Faulkner |
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1965 Penguin Modern Classics
The Trial by Franz Kafta |
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1965 Penguin Modern Classics
Lord of the Flies by William Golding |
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1966 Penguin Modern Classic
Cards of Identity by Nigel Dennis |
