An explorer of the imagination

Michel Dehon, born in Haine-Saint-Paul (La Louvière) in 1959, has had a passion for drawing ever since he was a child. He quickly became fascinated by the visual storytelling of comics, reading weekly magazines such as ‘Spirou’ and ‘Tintin’. In the 1970s and ’80s, he then discovered the magazines ‘Pilote’, ‘Métal Hurlant’ and ‘À Suivre’. He spent five years studying at the École Supérieure des Arts Plastiques et Visuels de Mons (today ARTS²). The teaching provided by their illustration department allowed him to develop new artistic techniques and enter the wider cultural sphere. However, when he left, he shifted his attention towards graphic design and computer graphics, and pursued this as a career for 27 years.

In 2016, Michel decided to revisit the arts of drawing and illustration. His style can be characterised as being both spontaneous and controlled. As part of his creative process, Michel Dehon’s works often start out as spontaneous ‘automatic drawings’, which he then regains control over as the work progresses. His eclectic body of work includes: ‘Night Dreams’, ‘Day Dreams’, ‘Into the Bubbles’, ‘Less is More’ and ‘Behind the Mirror’.

Click here to read his in-depth interview