François, André 1915–2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 9, 1915, in Temesvar, Austria-Hungary (now Timisoara, Romania); died of heart and kidney failure April 11, 2005, in Grisy-les-Plâtres, France. Illustrator, cartoonist, and author. François was an innovative cartoonist and children's book illustrator whose often-satiric style inspired other artists to diverge from the dominant realism of the 1950s. Born André Farkas in the former Austro-Hungarian empire, he became interested in graphic arts at an early age and moved to Paris, France, in 1934 to further his art studies. He became a French citizen five years later, changed his last name to François, and became a successful commercial artist. He also contributed regularly to magazines such as Le Rire, New Yorker, and Punch, as well as the leftist newspapers Lettres Françaises and Action. By the early 1950s, François had made a name for himself in children's literature, illustrating books by other writers as well as writing and illustrating his own titles, such as the popular Crocodile Tears (1955). He also became a set designer for theater and ballet productions. François continued to have a strong influence on illustration and cartooning through the 1980s and remained a considerable influence on these modern art forms. Among his other books are the collection The Penguin André François (1964), Toi et moi (1973), and André François (1986).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Guardian (Manchester, England), April 21, 2005, p. 29.

New York Times, April 15, 2005, p. C19.

Times (London, England), April 30, 2005, p. 71.