André Laclôtre, known by the pseudonym André Hellé (16 March 1871,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

- 29 December 1945, Paris) was a French painter, illustrator,

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

, and toy designer.

Life and work

His father was a pharmacist, and he grew up in the Parisian suburb of

Boissy-Saint-Léger Boissy-Saint-Léger () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Transport Boissy-Saint-Léger is served by Boissy-Saint-Léger station on Pa ...

. In the 1890s, after initially studying the piano, he decided in favor of art and began creating humorous drawings, inspired by a short-lived art movement known as the "

Incoherents The Incoherents (''Les Arts incohérents'') was a short-lived French art movement founded by Parisian writer and publisher (1857–1935) in 1882, which in its satirical irreverence, anticipated many of the art techniques and attitudes later asso ...

". He took the name André Hellé around 1896, when his drawings and comic strips were first published professionally. Much in demand, he found himself very busy until well into the 1930s. His works for an adult audience were published in '' Le Journal pour tous'' (1899-1905), '' La Caricature'' (1900-1904), ''

Le Rire ''Le Rire'' (, "Laughter") was a successful French humor magazine published from October 1894 until its final issue in April 1971. Founded in Paris during the Belle Époque by Felix Juven, ''Le Rire'' appeared as typical Parisians began to ach ...

'' (1901-1915), ' (1902-1930), '' L'Assiette au Beurre'' (1903-1910), le '' Journal amusant'' (1910-1914), ''

Je sais tout ''Je sais tout'' (meaning ''I Know All'' in English) was a French magazine established by Pierre Lafitte in 1905. It was noted for featuring the works of Maurice Leblanc, in particular the adventures of Arsène Lupin, which was first published ...

'' (1909-1912), ' (1909-1912), ' (1909-1920), and '' Le Monde Illustré'' (1932-1937). He also contributed to the children's magazines, ''La Joie des Enfants'' and ''Le Jeudi de la Jeunesse''. Beginning in 1910, he designed and created wooden toys, including a series called " Noah's Ark". He also devised games and, together with his wife, designed children's play rooms. His work earned him a gold medal and diploma of honor from the . In 1913, he wrote a ballet scenario for

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, based on one of his own children's books, called ''

La Boîte à Joujoux LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

'' (The Toy Box). Debussy composed a piano score but, due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, production was delayed until 1919, after Debussy's death. Le Sourire 16 04 1910

In the late 1920s, he did decorative work at several summer camps and schools. He was a regular participant in the , and the Salon d'Automne, where he oversaw the book section. In 1942, he completed his memoirs, ''Les Souvenirs d'un Petit Garçon'', covering what he describes as an extended childhood. From 2012 to 2013, the (Toy Museum) in

Poissy Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...

held a retrospective of his work. In 2015, the municipal library in Boissy-Saint-Léger was named after him.

Sources

Selected works and commentary
@ Les Amis d'André Hellé website
"André Hellé, illustre et inconnu"
by Jacques Desse @ Ricochet

External links

* ''Grosses Bêtes & petites bêtes'', Alfred Tolmer & Cie, 1912
Online
@ the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

) * ''Films pour les tout-petits'', Librairie Garnier frères, Paris, 1924, 32 pl.
Online
@ Gallica) * ''Le Tour du monde en 80 pages'', éditeur Ferenczi & fils, 1927
Online
@ Gallica) {{DEFAULTSORT:Helle, Andre 1871 births 1945 deaths French editorial cartoonists French children's book illustrators 20th-century French painters French lithographers Toy designers Artists from Paris

Life and work

Sources

Further reading

External links