Jean-Claude Floch (; born September 25, 1953), known as Floc'hHis pen name ''Floc'h'' is pronounced the same as his last name. is a French illustrator,

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

artist, and writer. He is known for his use of the style known as ligne claire. His older brother Jean-Louis Floch was also a cartoonist and illustrator.

Biography

After a quick study at the ''

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (; ÉnsAD) also known as Arts Decos' and École des Arts décoratifs, is a public grande école of art and design, constituent member of PSL Research University. The school is located in the R ...

'' (School of Decorative Arts) in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he dedicated himself to illustration and comics. His first published comics pages were for the story ''Le Conservateur'', written by Rodolphe, which appeared in ''Imagine'' in 1975. The comics character "Sir Francis Albany" was created for ''

Pilote ''Pilote'' (), for a while subtitled ''the magazine of Asterix and Obelix'' (French: ''Le Journal D’Astérix et D’Obélix'' ) was a French comics magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major Franco-Belgian comics, French ...

'' magazine by Floc'h in 1977, and collaborating with François Rivière, Floc’h published his first collection of comics in 1977, ''Le Rendez-vous de Sevenoaks''. He and Rivière devoted themselves to a narrative and illustration style characterized by Anglophilia; the technique known as

mise en abyme In Western art history, ''mise en abyme'' (; also ''mise en abîme'') is the technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers to t ...

; as well as a ligne claire drawing style inspired by the Belgian tradition of comics illustration pioneered by

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé ( ; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...

and Edgar P. Jacobs. Together they would create the series known as ''Une trilogie anglaise'' (An English Trilogy), which debuted in 1977. Floc'h’s fame grew with the publication of ''Le Dossier Harding'' in 1980. Floc'h created commercial illustrations, in which he explored new drawing techniques and developed a personal style based on graphic minimalism such as in ''Le Secret de la Pulmoll verte'' in 1980. In 1991, he collaborated with Jean-Luc Fromental on a collection of cartoons inspired by the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, ''Jamais deux sans trois''. They also collaborated on the books ''Ma Vie'', ''Life'', ''High Life'' and ''Var, le Département dont vous êtes le Heros''. Floc'h and François Rivière collaborated on the novel ''Les Chroniques d'Oliver Alban, Diary of an Ironist'' (2006), in which they explored the art and literature from two decades: the 1940s and the 1970s. The two wrote the texts, with Floc'h also creating the art for the book. In 2007, Floc'h published a very personal work in the form of his book ''Une vie de rêve: Fragments d’une autobiographie idéale'', in which he lives a long life that extends from 360 BC to May 4, 2046, during the course of which he fulfills various fantasies (for example, he becomes a student of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

and poses for Philippe Halsman). Known mainly for cartoons and illustrations, Floc’h has however exhibited his art at various galleries, including the Pixi gallery in Paris and the Nicholas Davies Gallery in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Floc'h has also designed book covers as well as various movie posters, such as for '' Diabolo menthe'' and '' Smoking / No Smoking'', and created illustrations for various newspapers and magazines in France, including '' Lire'', ''Senso'', ''Monsieur'', ''

L'Express (, stylized in all caps) is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre-right in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''R� ...

'', ''

Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines ...

'', ''

Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...

'', ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'', ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', and ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

''. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he has created covers and illustrations for '' GQ'' and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''. A collection of his advertising artwork appeared in 1985 as ''Un Homme dans la Foule''.

Works

Comics

Collections of Comics

* 1977 : ''Le Rendez-vous de Sevenoaks'', with François Rivière (

Dargaud Société Dargaud (), doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud, publishing its first comics in 1943. ...

) * 1980 : ''Le Dossier Harding'', with François Rivière (

) * 1983 : ''Blitz'', with François Rivière (''Le Matin'' /

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

) * 1984 : ''À la recherche de Sir Malcolm'', with François Rivière (

) * 1991 : ''Jamais deux sans trois'', with Jean-Luc Fromental (

) * 1992 : ''Une trilogie anglaise'', with François Rivière (

) * 1996 : ''Underground'', with François Rivière (

) * 2005 : ''Olivia Sturgess : 1914-2004'', with François Rivière (

) * 2009 : ''Black Out et autres histoires du Blitz'', with François Rivière (

)

Limited Editions (Tirages de tête)

* 1984 : ''À la recherche de Sir Malcolm'', with François Rivière. * 1985 : ''Un homme dans la foule''. * 1985 : ''Un homme dans la foule''. * 1992 : ''À propos de Francis''. * 2005 : ''Olivia Sturgess : 1914-2004'', with François Rivière.

Illustration

Illustrated books

* 1985 : ''Ma vie'', with Jean-Luc Fromental ( Les Humanoïdes Associés) * 1985 : ''Life'', with Jean-Luc Fromental (Carton) * 1986 : ''High Life'', with Jean-Luc Fromental (Carton) * 1986 : ''Banque de France'', collective work. Illustrations recto verso are of two bank notes, one depicting Raymond Loewy, the other

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

(Carton) * 1994 : ''Meurtre en miniature'', with François Rivière (

) * 1994 : ''Journal d'un New-Yorkais'', with Michel Jourde (

Champaka ''Magnolia champaca'', known in English as champak (), is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as ''Michelia champaca''. It is known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking. Etymo ...

) * 1997 : ''Ma vie 2'' (

) * 1998 : ''Exposition'', with Michel Jourde (Reporter / Galerie Médicis) * 2007 : ''Une vie de rêve'' ( Robert Laffont)

Film Posters

* 1977 : '' Diabolo menthe'' by

Diane Kurys Diane Kurys (; born 3 December 1948) is a French director, producer, filmmaker and actress. Several of her films as director are semi-autobiographical. Personal life Kurys was born in Lyon, Rhône, France, the younger of two daughters. She is a ...

* 1980 : ''Cocktail Molotov'' by

* 1992 : '' Smoking/No Smoking'' by Alain Resnais * 1997 : '' On connaît la chanson'' by Alain Resnais * 1998 : ''Harry dans tous ses états'' ('' Deconstructing Harry'') by

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

* 1999 : '' La Bûche'' by Danièle Thompson * 2001 : '' Liberté-Oléron'' by

Bruno Podalydès Bruno Podalydès (born 11 March 1961) is a French writer, film director, producer and actor. His brother Denis Podalydès is also an actor. Selected filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Podalydes, Bruno 1961 births L ...

* 2001 : '' Vertiges by l'amour'' by Laurent Chouchan * 2002 : ''

Hollywood Ending ''Hollywood Ending'' is a 2002 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also plays the principal character. It tells the story of a once-famous film director who suffers hysterical blindness due to the intense pressure of ...

'' by Woody Allen * 2003 : '' Petites coupures'' by Pascal Bonitzer * 2003 : '' Pas sur la bouche'' by Alain Resnais * 2005 : '' Melinda and Melinda'' by Woody Allen * 2005 : '' L'Anniversaire'' by Diane Kurys * 2008 : '' Le Grand Alibi'' by Pascal Bonitzer

Novels

*2006 : ''Les Chroniques d'Oliver Alban'', with François Rivière ( Robert Laffont)

References

External links

Floc’h on Lambiek.net
*
L'homme dans la foule
: blog devoted to Floc'h *

: article concerning collaborations of Floc'h and François Rivière *

: exposition à la Galerie Pixi en 2001 *

: Galerie Pixi exhibition in 2003
The New Yorker
: ''New Yorker'' covers *

: couvertures pour la collection Marginalia (n°1 et 14) *
So British!
: portrait of Floc'h for the magazine '' Bretons (magazine), Bretons'' n°15 (November 2006) *
La Vie rêvée de Floc'h
: portfolio of illustrations for ''Une vie de rêve'' for the magazine '' Bretons (magazine), Bretons'' n°26 (November 2007) *
Entretien audio
accordé par Floc'h �
ExpressBD
*

: movie posters by Floc'h fo
CinEmotions
*
Lire : Le livre de leur enfance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Floc'h French illustrators French comics artists 1953 births Living people French people of Breton descent