Philippe Druillet

With his well-known comic books Lone Sloane or Xcalibur, his participation to the iconic comic magazines Pilote or Humanoïdes Associés, the elaboration of 3D animation and even drawing and making entire film sets, Philippe Druillet (born in Toulouse in 1944) has pulled us into his own universe and opened new windows to the “9th art”. He is a unique author who will influence Jean Giraud in the evolution of his alter ego Moebius and Georges Lucas in the graphic conception of Star Wars. As a pioneer artist he is one of the milestones of our visual universe. A true genius of comic book making and a myth in the universe of science fiction, he is still today a great source of inspiration and a major influence to entire generations.

Biography

Philippe Druillet was born in 1944 in Toulouse, and he spent his youth years in Figueiras, the city of Salvador Dali. He returned to France in 1952 after the death of his father. In 1960, he begun to do his first work, the photograph. During this period, he regularly went to the films where he met with some of the main figures of the era, as Jean Boullet. He collaborated with the revue Midi-Minuit Fantastique and became the correspondent of American magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland in France. Then he improved his technique of photogram and cinematography during his projection on screen. All his photographs were published in numerous international publications concerning the film and the fantasy. In 1965, he met his wife Nicole and started to discover the drawing. Eric Losfeld published his first book, entitled Lone Sloane – Le Mystère des abîmes (Lone Sloane – The Mystery of the Abyss). In 1970, he joined in the magazine Pilote with his new episodes of Lone Sloane with a style more blazing, in which Druillet innovated an audacious page layout and introduced the computer graphics in decors. In 1975, he associated with Moebius, Jean-Pierre Dinnet and Bernard Farkas creating the Les Humanoïdes Associés, a French publishing house specializing in comics,  and the magazine Métal Hurlant. In 1975, torn by the death of his wife Nicole, Druillet created a violent and desperate story : La Nuit (The Night) for Rock and Folk. In 1980, he produced the Salammbô, a comic-book trilogy based upon Flaubert’s proto-heroic fantasy novel Salammbô. In his albums, the drawers explored the different registers and always the innovators.

In 1996, Druillet received the Grand Prix National des Arts graphiques (National Price of Graphics Arts). Together with Amélie Aubert and Benjamin Legrand, he created the Xcalibur, a French Canadian CGI sword-and-sorcery children’s television series with 40 episodes since 2002 on Canal+. Besides the comics programmes, Druillet has fed to his personal imaginary in artistic universe varied as the opera-rock, painting, sculpture, design, architecture and compter graphics.

“Looking back now, I tell myself that I am completely a dingo while reading my albums. Jimmy Hendrix used to say that, in some way, he came from the Mars, so did I. […] When I drew, it seems as if I opened a door and entered in my universe. And then when I finished my work, I closed this door and became again a man almost normal.”

Philippe Druillet

Interview with Philippe Druillet
Exclusively for the LOFT Gallery, Philippe Druillet tells us about his love for sculpture and reveals the origin of the pieces he designed as part of the Art for All collection.

Episode I • Itai : Origins
From Vuzz to Daum, back to the origin of the work, Itaï by Philippe Druillet.
Click to watch the video !

Episode II • At the origins of the Dark God…
Born from the imagination of Philippe Druillet, the Dark God is a leading figure in the fantastic universe, at the crossroads between Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock and Lone Sloane.
Click to watch the video!

Episode III • Druillet: Inventor of color
When a Dark God turns electric blue, our beliefs are called into question … unless by reinventing the meaning given to color, we simply manage to challenge our perception of the world and sculpture.
Click to watch the video!

 

Career

2015
Delirium, Galerie Huberty-Breyne, Paris
Festival BD de Perros-Guirec, Bretagne, France

2014
Le monde de Sloane, Galerie Glénat, Paris

2013
"Cosmos", Druillet & Di Rosa", Galerie Petits Papiers, Paris

2012
"Repliquant(e)s", Galerie Petits Papiers, Paris

2011
"Druillet Regards", L'abbaye de Flaran, Valence-sur-Baïse, France

2010
"SALAMMBO - LES NUS", Galerie "Pascal Gabert", Paris

2009
Moteur Concorde - Banque Rothschild, France
Exposition "METAL MEMOIRES", Galerie Petits Papiers, Paris

2008
Dessins Contemporains - Galerie Bailly Contemporain, Paris.
Atelier 3 / Transpositions - Musée Jean-Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine, Angers.

2005
Les Rois Maudits - Assurance & conseil Saint-Honoré, Paris.
Les Rois Maudits - Galerie Papiers Gras, Genève.

2002
2ème Salon de l'imaginaire - Grande Halle de La Villette, Paris.

2000
Les Maîtres de la Bande dessinée Européenne - Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris.

1999
Druillet Visioni di fine millennio - Palazzo Bagatti, Milan (Italie). Peintures, dessins, sculptures, mobilier, multimédia, 3D, Cinéma. Edition d'un catalogue International, Hazard Edizioni.
4ème Festival de la Bande dessinée du département de l'Ain - Bellegarde.
Nature et BD - Festival de la science fiction et du fantastique, Roanne.
Ils rêvent le Monde - Libreville.
L'Univers fantastique de Philippe Druillet - Centre Picasso, Montigny.

1998
Galerie Loft, Paris. Sculptures, bronzes ainsi que le mobilier pour les banques Benjamin et Edmond de Rothschild de Lugano et à Genève.
Galerie Sauvez le nuit, Marseille.
Galerie Mots et merveilles, Saint-Paul de Vence.
100 millions d'images - Musée des Arts Contemporains, Lyon.
Ring - Théâtre du Ranelagh, Paris. Originaux.

1997
Fondation COPRIM, Paris.
Visions de demain - Vitry-sur-Seine.
Festival de la Bande dessinée - Chambéry.

1996
Festival Fantastic Arts, Gérardmer. Egalement membre du jury.
Doisneau/Druillet, Galerie Papiers Gras, Genève (Suisse).
Festival du Film d'aventure, Valenciennes.
La Géode, Paris. 10ème anniversaire. Peintures et sculptures avec Claveau et Vautrin.
Festival International du livre - Pavillon français, Bogota (Colombie).

1995
Doisneau/Druillet - Galerie Loft, Paris. Originaux.
Beaux-Arts, Metz.
La Ville ainsi soit-il - Opéra de Paris.
Festival de la Bande dessinée, Orange.

1994
Manuel L'enfant rêve - Galerie Loft, Paris. Originaux.

1993
Galerie Loft, Paris. Peintures.
Étonnants voyageurs - Saint-Malo.
Arts et BD - Musée des Beaux-arts, Clermont-Ferrand.

1992
Festival de la Bande dessinée, Eauze. Parrainage du Ministre de la Culture.
Poste de la Boëtie, Paris.
L'Univers de Philippe Druillet, Sedan (Belgique).

1991
Galerie L'Étang d'Art, Bages.

1990
Nippon Advisart - Galerie Avant-Gardes, Tokyo (Japon).

1989
Tour de la Liberté, aux Tuileries, Paris.
Comic Art - École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris.
Festival de la Bande dessinée, Angoulême.

1988
Suite à Salammbô (masques Kraft) - Galerie Pascal Gabert, Paris.
Der Franzosise Comic - Centre culturel français, Berlin (Allemagne).

1987
Salammbô - Musée national de Carthage, Tunis (Tunisie).

1986
Hommage à Gustave Flaubert : Salammbô - Festival de la Bande dessinée, Rouen.
Festival Télébédéciné, Ajaccio.
Galerie Papiers gras et Centre Culturel, Saint-Gervais et Genève (Suisse).

1985
Jansen, Paris. Création de la vitrine. Édition d'une sérigraphie.
Carrefour de la communication, Sommet culturel franco-japonais, Paris.

1984
Images et Imaginaires d'Architecture (cinq pièces présentées dont L'Île des Morts de Gail) - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

1983
Beaux-Arts, Angoulême.
Galerie La Marge, Lausanne (Suisse).
Galerie Graphic Center Mecanorma, Paris.

1981
Salammbô - Lille, Strasbourg, Albi et Toulouse.
Nombreuses ventes d'originaux, Drouot et Orsay.
La Guerre du feu - Gaumont Ambassade, Paris.

1980
Entrée au Cabinet des Estampes, Paris.
Salammbô - Galerie Bijan Aalam, Paris.

1979
Les Humanoïdes Associés - Maison de la Culture, Rennes.

1977
Achats par les Musées Nationaux (Grenoble et Angoulême) de plusieurs planches.
Service Culturel de l'Ambassade de France, Tunis et Alger (Algérie).

1976
À travers le fantastique - Montbéliard.
La BD Européenne - Graham Gallery, New York (États-Unis).
2ème salon de la BD - Bruxelles (Belgique).
Les Illusions d'Ulthar - Librairie Expérience, Lyon.
Bandes dessinées originales - Galerie Françoise Carel, Paris.

1975
La Science fiction - La Mongole fière, Paris.

1974
Galerie Art et Media, Paris.

1972
La Semaine SF - Maison de la Culture, Grenoble.
La Science fiction - Galerie Le Triangle, Paris.

1971
Musée d'Art Moderne, Sao Paulo (Brésil).
Lone Sloane/Elric - Groupe SF, Rouen.
Kunsthalle, Berne (Suisse).

1970
Science fiction - Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Socerlid, Saint-Cyprien.

1969
Librairie-galerie L'Envers du miroir, Paris.
Lovecraft - Librairie Les Yeux fertiles, Paris.

1967
Galerie Le Tournesol, Paris.

1965
Librairie Le Kiosque (Jean Boullet), Paris.

1963
Dracula - Librairie Mandragore, Paris.