The Creators
Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten
© Isabelle Franciosa / Casterman
François Schuiten
François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956. His father, Robert Schuiten, and his mother, Marie-Madeleine De Maeyer, were both architects. He has five brothers and sisters, one of whom is also an architect.
During his studies at the Saint-Luc Institute in Brussels (1975–1977), he met Claude Renard, who led the comics department at the school. Together they created several books. Schuiten's brother Luc also worked with him several times as a writer for the series Terres Creuses.
Schuiten published his first comic on 3 May 1973, consisting of 5 black and white pages in the French magazine Pilote; four years later he was published in the more experimental magazine Métal Hurlant.
His love of architecture became apparent in the series Cities of the Fantastic, an evocation of fantastic, partly imaginary cities that he created with his friend Benoît Peeters from 1983 for the Belgian monthly comics magazine (À Suivre). Every story focuses on one city or building, and further explores a world where architects, urbanists, and ultimately ”urbatects”, are the leading powers and architecture is the driving force behind society. Styles explored in the series include stalinistic and fascist architecture in La Fièvre d'Urbicande, skyscrapers in Brüsel, but also the gothic cathedrals in La Tour. This fascination with architecture and the possible and impossible cities it can generate is further explored in The Gates of the Possible, a weekly series Schuiten created for the newspapers Le Soir and De Morgen in 2005.
Inspired by artists and scientists alike, Schuiten's work can be considered to mix the mysterious worlds of René Magritte, the early scientific fantasies of Jules Verne, the graphical worlds of M. C. Escher and Gustave Doré, and the architectural visions of Victor Horta and Étienne-Louis Boullée. The creative synergy between Schuiten's work and the books of Jules Verne culminated in 1994 when he was asked to illustrate and design a cover for the publication of Verne's rediscovered book Paris in the Twentieth Century.
He also collaborated with Maurice Benayoun on the computer graphics series Quarxs, and worked as a production designer for a few movies: Gwendoline by Just Jaeckin, Toto le héros by Jaco Van Dormael, Taxandria by Raoul Servais, The Golden Compass by Chris Weitz, and Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael. He is currently working on other feature films, such as Mars et Avril by Martin Villeneuve, as well as on a computer-animated film which he will co-direct with his colleague Benoît Sokal.
As a scenographer, he designed the metro stations of Porte de Hal in Brussels and Arts et Métiers in Paris, and a mural in Brussels. In 2000, he designed the scenography for A planet of visions, one of the main pavilions of the Hannover World's Fair, which attracted more than five million visitors. In 2004-2005, a large exhibition was held in Leuven, The Gates of Utopia, showing different aspects of his work. He also created the interior of the Belgian pavilion at the Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan with the painter Alexandre Obolensky. François Schuiten has also designed 15 Belgian stamps.
Schuiten together with Peeters also helped to save and subsequently restore the Maison Autrique, the first house designed by Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta.
François Schuiten married Monique Toussaint in 1980; they have four children.
During his studies at the Saint-Luc Institute in Brussels (1975–1977), he met Claude Renard, who led the comics department at the school. Together they created several books. Schuiten's brother Luc also worked with him several times as a writer for the series Terres Creuses.
Schuiten published his first comic on 3 May 1973, consisting of 5 black and white pages in the French magazine Pilote; four years later he was published in the more experimental magazine Métal Hurlant.
His love of architecture became apparent in the series Cities of the Fantastic, an evocation of fantastic, partly imaginary cities that he created with his friend Benoît Peeters from 1983 for the Belgian monthly comics magazine (À Suivre). Every story focuses on one city or building, and further explores a world where architects, urbanists, and ultimately ”urbatects”, are the leading powers and architecture is the driving force behind society. Styles explored in the series include stalinistic and fascist architecture in La Fièvre d'Urbicande, skyscrapers in Brüsel, but also the gothic cathedrals in La Tour. This fascination with architecture and the possible and impossible cities it can generate is further explored in The Gates of the Possible, a weekly series Schuiten created for the newspapers Le Soir and De Morgen in 2005.
Inspired by artists and scientists alike, Schuiten's work can be considered to mix the mysterious worlds of René Magritte, the early scientific fantasies of Jules Verne, the graphical worlds of M. C. Escher and Gustave Doré, and the architectural visions of Victor Horta and Étienne-Louis Boullée. The creative synergy between Schuiten's work and the books of Jules Verne culminated in 1994 when he was asked to illustrate and design a cover for the publication of Verne's rediscovered book Paris in the Twentieth Century.
He also collaborated with Maurice Benayoun on the computer graphics series Quarxs, and worked as a production designer for a few movies: Gwendoline by Just Jaeckin, Toto le héros by Jaco Van Dormael, Taxandria by Raoul Servais, The Golden Compass by Chris Weitz, and Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael. He is currently working on other feature films, such as Mars et Avril by Martin Villeneuve, as well as on a computer-animated film which he will co-direct with his colleague Benoît Sokal.
As a scenographer, he designed the metro stations of Porte de Hal in Brussels and Arts et Métiers in Paris, and a mural in Brussels. In 2000, he designed the scenography for A planet of visions, one of the main pavilions of the Hannover World's Fair, which attracted more than five million visitors. In 2004-2005, a large exhibition was held in Leuven, The Gates of Utopia, showing different aspects of his work. He also created the interior of the Belgian pavilion at the Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan with the painter Alexandre Obolensky. François Schuiten has also designed 15 Belgian stamps.
Schuiten together with Peeters also helped to save and subsequently restore the Maison Autrique, the first house designed by Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta.
François Schuiten married Monique Toussaint in 1980; they have four children.
Benoît Peeters
Benoît Peeters (born 1956 AD in Paris, France) is a comics writer, novelist, and critic. After a degree in Philosophy at the Sorbonne (Paris I), he prepared his Master’s at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS‚ Paris) under the direction of Roland Barthes. He holds a « HDR-habilitation à diriger les recherches », i.e. a supplementary PhD enabling him to supervise the work of PhD candidates,(Université de Paris I, Sorbonne, 2007 AD).
His family moved to Belgium in 1958 AD, where he first met François Schuiten as a classmate in 1968 AD, and with whom he produced the school newspaper Go.
He published his first novel, Omnibus, by Les Editions de Minuit in 1976 AD, followed by his second, La Bibliothèque de Villers, Robert Laffont, 1980 AD. Since then, he has published over sixty works on a wide variety of subjects. His best-known work is Les Cités Obscures, an imaginary world which mingles a Borgesian metaphysical surrealism with the detailed architectural vistas of the series' artist, François Schuiten.
He has also worked with Frédéric Boilet on a series of comic albums, including Love Hotel (1993 AD), Tokyo est mon jardin (1997 AD), and Demi-tour (1997 AD), and has collaborated on a series of photographic works with Marie-Françoise Plissart.
He has written a number of books about the comics medium as well, including Le monde d'Hergé (1983 AD), published in English as Tintin and the World of Hergé (1988 AD), a biography of Hergé, “Hergé, son of Tintin”, a study of comics pioneer Rodolphe Töpffer, and theoretical works such as Lire la bande dessinée (1998 AD)
His interest in the Cinema has increased over the years. He is the author of three short films as well as several documentaries. He directed one feature film‚ ”Le Dernier plan” (The Last Shot)‚ and long conversations with Alain Robbe-Grillet.
He recently published the first biography of Jacques Derrida. The book was translated into English (Polity Press, Oct. 2012).
His family moved to Belgium in 1958 AD, where he first met François Schuiten as a classmate in 1968 AD, and with whom he produced the school newspaper Go.
He published his first novel, Omnibus, by Les Editions de Minuit in 1976 AD, followed by his second, La Bibliothèque de Villers, Robert Laffont, 1980 AD. Since then, he has published over sixty works on a wide variety of subjects. His best-known work is Les Cités Obscures, an imaginary world which mingles a Borgesian metaphysical surrealism with the detailed architectural vistas of the series' artist, François Schuiten.
He has also worked with Frédéric Boilet on a series of comic albums, including Love Hotel (1993 AD), Tokyo est mon jardin (1997 AD), and Demi-tour (1997 AD), and has collaborated on a series of photographic works with Marie-Françoise Plissart.
He has written a number of books about the comics medium as well, including Le monde d'Hergé (1983 AD), published in English as Tintin and the World of Hergé (1988 AD), a biography of Hergé, “Hergé, son of Tintin”, a study of comics pioneer Rodolphe Töpffer, and theoretical works such as Lire la bande dessinée (1998 AD)
His interest in the Cinema has increased over the years. He is the author of three short films as well as several documentaries. He directed one feature film‚ ”Le Dernier plan” (The Last Shot)‚ and long conversations with Alain Robbe-Grillet.
He recently published the first biography of Jacques Derrida. The book was translated into English (Polity Press, Oct. 2012).