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NIKOS BEL-JON (Greece, Arcadia, Valtessiniko 1911-1966 / act: USA) |
Nikos Bel-Jon was born Nikolaos Fotios Baloyannis on 20 March 1911 in the historic village of Valtessiniko, Arcadia, Greece. He received a Master of Arts degree from the Superior School of Fine Art in Athens in 1936. Bel-Jon advanced his studies at the É cole Nationale Sup é rieure des Beaux-Arts and the École du Louvre in Paris, France under a scholarship from the Government of Greece in 1938. He studied Byzantine art at a Monastery of Mount Athos in 1935. While in Greece and France he was a prolific painter, although the whereabouts of most of his paintings are currently unknown. Bel-Jon had major exhibits of his paintings in Athens and Paris, the first by the time he was 23.Bel-Jon was in the Greek army during World War II until he was hospitalized for shrapnel in his leg. He never fully regained strength in that leg, which plagued him for the rest of his life. After his term in the army he was Chief of the Section of Fine Arts for the Greek Ministry of Religion and National Education in Athens. In 1946 he was given a three year leave of absence to complete his artistic studies and observe the functions of foreign organizations and schools. He returned to France to resume his studies under a scholarship from the Government of France.
The handsome young man with dark hair and green eyes came to the United States from France on 17 April 1946 and found his way to Los Angeles, California, where he met his wife Troy Kendall, also an artist, whom he married in 1947. While in Los Angeles Bel-Jon was a member of the Painters Union. He worked for Fox Studios and also painted murals for the lobbies of movie theaters. Between working on these paintings he started to experiment and developed an innovative technique for creating murals on metal. His love of metal had begun during his studies of various metal-arts techniques of hidden treasures in the Louvre laboratories. During his experiments in Los Angeles he fell in love with the tone and quality of aluminum and after four years he finally found the right tools and techniques to get the results he wanted. In 1949 Bel-Jon moved to San Francisco, California, and in 1950 opened a studio on Maiden Lane where he honed his beautiful and unique technique and launched his brilliant career. During the 50's and 60's Bel-Jon was one of the most popular muralists in the United States. Bel-Jon's work was commissioned by companies like Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Kaiser Aluminum, Raymond Loewy, US Steel, The F.B.I. - J. Edgar Hoover, The Greek Consulate, Lincoln Center, Air India, as well as many pieces for private individuals. In addition to his paintings and murals, Bel-Jon designed a truly unusual car which he named Athena. He rebuilt the exterior of a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe with clay and then covered it with colored metal mosaics and fiberglass. To the amazement of all who saw it along the way, in 1959 he drove his family in this car cross country from San Francisco to New York. He opened a studio in an old synagogue on east 72nd Street and then later in a carriage house on East 69th Street.
Nikos and Troy had two daughters, Athena Fotini Bel-Jon DeBonis and Rhea Panayiota Bel-Jon Calkins. In 1950 he changed his name from Nikolaos Baloyannis to Nikos Bel-Jon and became a citizen of the United States in 1952. Bel-Jon was decorated by the Hellenic Republic in 1964 at the Greek Consulate in New York in recognition of his wonderful art and contribution to Greek heritage. He died on 11 August 1966 in New York City. His wife Troy continued his work after his death.
[Rhea Calkins 24/01/2009]
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