Guy Peellaert  

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Guy Peellaert (April 6 1934 in Brussels, Belgium, 17 November 2008, Paris) is a Belgian artist, graphic designer, painter and photographer, best-known for his vinyl album cover designs of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Diamond Dogs by David Bowie.

Comic books and graphic novels

He debuts as a theater set designer but first made his mark as comics book creator. His style was evidently inspired by the psychedelic and Pop art aesthetics celebrated in the 1960s (see Hapshash and the Coloured Coat in the UK).

His graphic novel Les aventures de Jodelle appeared in Hara-Kiri. Éric Losfeld published it in book version in 1966. The heroine protagonist Jodelle was styled after French singer Sylvie Vartan). Peellaert followed up with a second version, co-written with Pascal Thomas for a new heroine, Pravda, la survireuse (this time the French singer Françoise Hardy served as a model). 35 years later, the couturier Jean-Charles de Castelbajac would use the imagery of Pravda and Jodelle for his collection Physical graffiti in 2001.

Record covers

Il se consacre ensuite à la peinture qui se traduit dans la conception d’affiches de films : Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver) ; Robert Altman (Short Cuts) ; Robert Bresson (L'Argent) ; Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas et Les Ailes du désir)… Des pochettes de disques aussi : pour Les Rolling Stones (It's Only Rock and Roll) ; David Bowie (Diamond Dogs) ; Étienne Daho (Pour nos vies martiennes) ; Lio (Wandatta)…

Television

Et le générique de l’émission de Télévision, Cinéma, cinémas sur Antenne 2, en 1982. Ses œuvres font l’objet de nombreuses expositions à travers le monde et sont réunies dans quelques livres qui connaissent un certain succès international : Rock Dreams, Albin Michel, Paris,1974, est un album d’illustrations peintes autour de rencontres improbables entre artistes du show-bizz. Vendu à plus d’un million d’exemplaires il a été réédité chez Taschen en novembre 2003.

Painting

Il utilise le pastel pour représenter des célébrités emblématiques de l’Amérique dans Las Vegas. The Big Room, Albin Michel, Paris, 1986. Il fait des collages peints de diverses personnalités politiques qu’il réunit dans Rêves du 20e siècle, Grasset, 1999. Ses dernières productions sont faites de découpages photographiques à l’aide de la palette graphique sur ordinateur, telle l'étonnante carte de vœu qu'il réalise pour Jean-Pierre Chevènement, alors ministre de l'intérieur, en 2000. Guy Peellaert (Brussels, Belgium, April 6 1934 - Paris, France, November 17 2008) was a Belgian artist, painter, illustrator, comic artist and photographer, most famous for his album covers for rock artists like David Bowie (Diamond Dogs) and The Rolling Stones (It's Only Rock 'n' Roll). He also designed film posters for films like Taxi Driver, Paris, Texas and Short Cuts.

Comic strips

Peellaert made his debut as a decorator for theaters and comic strip artist. His style was influenced by psychedelic art and Pop Art. His comic strip, Les Aventures de Jodelle, was published in 1966 in the controversial French magazine Hara-Kiri. The protagonist, Jodelle, was modelled after singer Sylvie Vartan. Peellart's second comic strip heroine, Pravda, made her debut in 1968 and was modelled after singer Françoise Hardy. These two characters would be used years later by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for his collection Physical graffiti in 2001.

Film

Peellaert designed film posters for films like Taxi Driver (by Martin Scorsese), Short Cuts (by Robert Altman), L'argent (by Robert Bresson), Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire (by Wim Wenders)

Album Covers

Peellaert is perhaps best known for his rock album covers. He designed covers for The Rolling Stones (It's Only Rock' N Roll), David Bowie (Diamond Dogs), Étienne Daho (Pour nos vies martiennes) ; Lio (Wandatta)…

He painted in a very photorealistic style and often used pastel. The album cover of David Bowie's Diamond Dogs (1974) met with controversy. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque. It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid’s genitalia. Very few copies of this original cover made their way into circulation at the time of the album's release. According to the record-collector publication Goldmine price guides, these albums have been among the most expensive record collectibles of all time, as high as thousands of US dollars for a single copy. The genitalia was quickly airbrushed out for the 1974 LP’s gatefold sleeve, although the original artwork (and another rejected cover featuring Bowie in a cordobes hat holding onto a ravenous dog) was included in subsequent Rykodisc/EMI re-issues.

Peellaert also designed programme titles for television shows on the French tv channel Antenne 2 in 1982.

His work has been exhibited internationally and compiled into several best selling books, such as Rock Dreams (with British rock journalist Nic Cohn), Albin Michel and Paris, 1974. The book Rock Dreams even sold a million copies. Magazines like Les Inrockuptibles, The Guardian and Vanity Fair have praised his work.

He died at the age of 74 of cancer.