September 2, 2013, 10:10 pm
Vaughn-James, Martin
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Martin Vaughn-James is an artist born in 1943 AD in Bristol, England. After stays in London, Montreal, Toronto and Paris, he finally lived in Brussels. In the '70s, he collaborated with several writers and published numerous drawings in french and belgian magazines such as Minuit, Obliques, La Nouvelle Critique, Libération, Jungle, 25, etc.
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In Canada he published four illustrated novels: Elephant (1970), then The Projector (1971), The Park (1972) and The Cage (1975). In the middle of the '80s, Martin Vaughn-James devoted himself mainly to painting, displaying in France, Belgium and Germany canvases where his narrative concerns are expressed in another way. His striking ressemblance with Augustin Desombres and the nature of several of his paintings do support the theory that he may have had more than a fleeting contact with the Obscure universe.
Martin Vaughn-James died on July 3, 2009. He was the author of an extraordinary graphic novel, La Cage, and had recently exhibited his paintings at the House Autrique. Martin Vaughn-James had also served as a model for the character of the painter Augustin Desombres present in several albums of “Cités obscures”.
The Cage
![Cover of The Cage]( "Cover of The Cage")
In Fall 2013, Coach House republishes what is considered to be one of the seminal graphic novels, Martin Vaughn-James's The Cage 1. Cryptic and disturbing, The Cage spurns narrative for atmosphere, guiding us through a series of disarrayed rooms and desolate landscapes. It’s not about where we’re going but how — if — we get there. The September 2 issue of Publishers Weekly includes a starred review for this graphic novel cult classic 2:
“First published in 1975, this work foreshadowed the rise of the graphic novel. While promoted by insiders in the years that followed, it is not well-known. Its relative obscurity may be due to the late Vaughn-James’s devotion to his highly personal vision. Presented here are a series of black-and-white drawings, nearly clinical in their precision, detailing an enigmatic structure in an unspecified place and time. Accompanying the illustrations are bits of text, which are perhaps explicative in their unseen whole but as fragments offer only tantalizing hints of possible unity. Nonlinear in its approach to both space and time, the study mixes the banally familiar with the disturbingly alien. What emerges is not comprehensible in any mundane sense, but it presents enough of an illusion of a greater whole lurking just out of frame to be addictively engaging. It is a masterpiece, demonstrating a level of skill and insight very few have even aspired to in the nearly 40 years since its initial publication. With an introduction by Canadian comics star and Lemony Snicket collaborator Seth, this work is strongly recommended for every true fan of the graphic arts.”
More info on his books
Buy his books
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Martin Vaughn-James
ISBN 1552452875
$15.76
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Martin Vaughn-James, Thierry Groensteen
ISBN 2874490970
EUR 17,94
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Martin Vaughn-James
ISBN 287449027X
EUR 11,00
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Martin Vaughn-James
ISBN 2906131415
EUR 13,80
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September 3, 2013, 10:56 am
Auction of 30 originals by François Schuiten
Artculture in Paris 1 will auction 30 original drawings of François Schuiten. This unique auction will be held on October 24, 20132.
”This is a unique event, long overdue” said Artcurial. The author of the famous series “The Obscure Cities” have always refused to sell, except for rare exceptions. François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters even gave away their original pages of the books to maintain the possibility to reprint the books in best quality available in the future 3
These thirty illustrations sweep the period from 1984 to 2012. We find the first image created in 1993 to decorate the metro station Arts et Métiers in Paris (estimate 25,000 to 35,000 euros), the cover of the book by Jules Verne “Paris in the Twentieth Century” in 1994 (25,000 to 35,000 euros ) and a set of illustrations dated 1997 for the World Expo 2000 in Hanover.
It will also be offered a portrait of the artist at work (25,000 to 35,000 euros), conducted as part of the Angoulême Festival in 2003, or a tribute to David by Michelangelo in 2004, Larousse (20,000 to 25,000 euros) 4.
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September 3, 2013, 11:04 am
L'Enfant de Phoebus (original)
![L'Enfant de Phoebus]( "L'Enfant de Phoebus")
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique |
| Size | 65 x 50 cm |
| Comments | Illustration réalisée pour la sculpture de « L'Enfant de Phoebus » produite par Christian Desbois. Cette image a fait partie du coffret Livre-CD « Le Musée A. Desombres ». |
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September 3, 2013, 11:06 am
Lozan (original)
![Lozan (original)]( "Lozan (original)")
| Year | 1984 |
| Type | Encre de Chine, acrylique |
| Size | 57,2 x 40 cm |
| Comments | Image réalisée pour l'affiche d'une exposition des Cités Obscures à Lausanne. On y voit plusieurs monuments particuliers à la ville de Lausanne. |
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September 3, 2013, 11:11 am
L'Evasion (original)
![L'Evasion]( "L'Evasion")
| Year | 1989 |
| Type | Encre de Chine, acrylique |
| Size | 49 x 72,2 cm |
| Comments | Image réalisée pour l'affiche du 11ème Festival du Polar de Grenoble en 1989. Cette image représentait le concept de la scénographie du festival. Ce format est inhabituel car son utilisation oblige de multiples cadrages. Ce sont des images difficiles à réaliser car, sans perdre leur sens et leur efficacité, elles doivent s'adapter à de nombreuses déclinaisons. |
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September 3, 2013, 11:15 am
Voyage Sous La Manche (original)
![Voyage Sous La Manche]( "Voyage Sous La Manche")
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Encre, acrylique |
| Size | 59,9 x 45,2 cm |
| Comments | Illustration montrant les premières machines qui devaient normalement forer le tunnel sous la Manche. En effet, depuis 1802, l'idée d'un tunnel reliant la France et l'Angleterre occupe l'esprit de certains des meilleurs ingénieurs des deux pays. Cette image a été réalisée pour un projet d'exposition qui devait normalement avoir lieu au moment de l'inauguration du tunnel. |
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September 3, 2013, 11:18 am
Metro Arts et Metiers (original)
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| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Acrylique |
| Size | 43,5 x 62,8 cm |
| Comments | Première illustration pour le concept scénographique de la rénovation de la station de métro « Arts et Métiers ». Après avoir participé au concours pour la rénovation du Musée des Arts et Métiers (notre équipe étant arrivée deuxième), j'ai reçu la demande de concevoir la scénographie de la station. Le projet était difficile mais passionnant de bout en bout. Malgré les réticences au fait d'introduire du cuivre et du laiton dans une station souterraine, la RATP a accepté le projet à partir de ces premières illustrations. La réalisation s'avère en définitive très proche du projet initial. |
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September 4, 2013, 1:20 am
Ernest Solvay et son temps (original)
![Ernest Solvay et Son Temps]( "Ernest Solvay et Son Temps")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 62,8 x 44,2 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Poster for an exhibition on Ernest Solvay, great chemist who invented the process for making soda ash. Ernest Solvay is one of the most influential figures in Europe in the late 19th century. It is the source of several major buildings of the architect Victor Horta.” |
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September 4, 2013, 1:23 am
Image du Panorama de Planet Of Visions (original)
![Image du Panorama de Planet Of Visions]( "Image du Panorama de Planet Of Visions")
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 73 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Image has also served as a cover to the book “Travels in Utopia” to Casterman Publishing. The view was one of the principles that I had chosen to stage the history of utopias. This process very prestigious at the time, found, thanks to new technologies, the ability to create emotions to give us to see the role and importance of visions of the future. This lodge six thousand square meters was one of the most visited Expo, welcoming in six months over six million visitors. It was a great artistic adventure.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:23 am
Gigantic (Le) (original)
![Le Gigantic]( "Le Gigantic")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 46,4 x 63 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “A huge metal ship overlooks the ramp that leads to Panorama. Holding both the boat, airplane and airship, this machine is the synthesis of the Titanic, the Hindenburg and aircraft Robur the Conqueror. Shining brightly, letting out the echoes of an orchestra, the device seems inhabited parties and multiple activities.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:24 am
Jules Verne (original)
![Jules Verne]( "Jules Verne")
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 36,4 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Illustration made for the cover of a major magazine French. An opportunity to redraw the portrait of the author who has fed my children and who also recovered quickly as a major character of the Obscure Cities.” |
See also: Verne, Jules
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September 4, 2013, 1:27 am
Panorama - L'Apocalypse (original)
![Panorama - L'Apocalypse]( "Panorama - L'Apocalypse")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 68 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “A monolith pierced at its center suggests a heavenly vision, a new Jerusalem. In an apocalyptic world in glowing lights (which are projected images of war, mass graves, atomic bombs, mixed with symbols of the Apocalypse of St. John), raising the eyes, after this thundering vision has subsided , we go to a garden at sunset. There materializes the presence of a group of naked men and women, as weightlessness.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:27 am
Panorama - L'Utopie Mecanique (original)
![Panorama - L'Utopie Mecanique]( "Panorama - L'Utopie Mecanique")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 68 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “A huge robot waving to us with at times stereotypical man tools (drills, hammer, lasers), other, those of women (irons, vacuum cleaners, kitchen whips). After an attractive and colorful demonstration, large robot began to misfire and was taken turmoil. Its workings flashed sparks. And the unit sagged to show us the limits of our dreams of progress.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:28 am
Panorama - L'Utopie Sociale (original)
![Panorama - L'Utopie Sociale]( "Panorama - L'Utopie Sociale")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 68 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Huge buildings ovoid alveolar evoke different social utopias that have passed into history. Light, concentrated primarily in the lower part, highlighted the work activity, the hum of a beehive, the feverish excitement of a swarm. But higher up in the edification, the more light gets colder, the activity is solitary and silent. Certainly one of the dimensions of utopia most difficult to embody. This image, against all odds, was one of the most used to illustrate the Pavilion Utopias.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:28 am
Panorama - La Cite (original)
![Panorama - La Cite]( "Panorama - La Cite")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 68 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “The public is facing a modern city of skyscrapers and buildings connected by an infinite set of roads. Light animates these towers, making us change the landscape through other urban projects evoking Le Corbusier and Niemeyer. On the horizon, there are the pyramidal silhouette of a Japanese city built on the sea” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:28 am
Panorama - La Statue Mythique (original)
![Panorama - La Statue Mythique]( "Panorama - La Statue Mythique")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 51 x 68 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “A huge sculpture half-man, half-woman overlooking the spectators. This is the extreme left of Panorama which, with its mountain landscape, leaves an impression of ice loneliness. The body of the statue is fragmented light cubes that emerge and which appear mythical figures of yesterday and today.” |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:29 am
Paradis (Le) (original)
![Le Paradis]( "Le Paradis")
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 46 x 63,2 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “One of the first major scenography of “Planet of Visions” which had probably the strongest impact on visitors. A huge suspended garden was reflected to a water surface, the visitor moving on a bridge overlooking this lively mirror. The whole garden was alive. A giraffe appeared through the trees, munching some grass, a unicorn drank in the stream, all in an atmosphere of dynamic light, swirling sounds … Mists of freshness penetrated the foliage drops fell from the roof garden on water, creating a wave that generated images of Arcadian paradise. Certainly one of the settings which gave me the most concern and yet proved to be the most spectacular. It is sometimes difficult to predict the impact that staging can have on the visitor …“ |
See also: Expo 2000
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September 4, 2013, 1:29 am
Paris au XXe Siecle (original)
![Paris au XXe Siecle]( "Paris au XXe Siecle")
| Year | 1994 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique |
| Size | 65,9 x 46,5 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Cover of Jules Verne published for the first time in 1994 to Hachette Publishing. This novel, made just before “Five Weeks in a Balloon” was found in a chest by one of the heirs of the famous writer a few months ago. This Science-Fiction story , written in 1860, evokes the Paris of 1960. Jules Verne here reveals a novelist anticipation, in a very unexpected vein. It was a great emotion to illustrate this lost story.” |
See also: Paris au XXe siècle
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September 4, 2013, 1:30 am
Solitude des Latitudes (original)
![Solitude des Latitudes]( "Solitude des Latitudes")
| Year | 2002 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 65,8 x 49,2 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Cover illustration made for “Captain Courageous” by Gerard Manset. The work of Gerard Manset, I knew very young, continues to accompany me always with the same emotion.” |
See also: Coffret de CDs de Gérard Manset
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September 4, 2013, 1:31 am
Titanic (original)
![Titanic]( "Titanic")
| Year | 2011 |
| Type | Original, Acrylique, crayon |
| Size | 36 x 48,2 cm |
| Comments | François Schuiten: “Illustration for the first stamp in 3D (with glasses) directed by the Belgian Post. On the occasion of the anniversary of the disaster, the Post wanted to innovate by giving to collectors the opportunity to discover a key moment of the Titanic with a stereoscopic process.” |
See also: Titanic 3D
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Martin Vaughn-James is an artist born in 1943 AD in Bristol, England. After stays in London, Montreal, Toronto and Paris, he finally lived in Brussels. In the '70s, he collaborated with several writers and published numerous drawings in french and belgian magazines such as Minuit, Obliques, La Nouvelle Critique, Libération, Jungle, 25, etc.
In Canada he published four illustrated novels: Elephant (1970), then The Projector (1971), The Park (1972) and The Cage (1975). In the middle of the '80s, Martin Vaughn-James devoted himself mainly to painting, displaying in France, Belgium and Germany canvases where his narrative concerns are expressed in another way. His striking ressemblance with Augustin Desombres and the nature of several of his paintings do support the theory that he may have had more than a fleeting contact with the Obscure universe.
