Michel Plessix

Michel Plessix (1959–2017) was one of the greatest animal illustrators in the 9th Art and an undisputed master of watercolor, admired by his peers. He created a masterful comic art adaptation of The Wind in the Willows and The Wind in the Sands, based on Kenneth Grahame's novel. His pages with extremely detailed pencil and India ink drawings on paper, accompanied by their original watercolor colorings, allow us to admire the artist’s technical mastery and the breadth of his talent. But also the range of emotions in his characters, their attitudes, his meticulous compositions, the fluidity of his line and his storytelling, for it is here that the full poetry of Michel Plessix’s artwork lies, in a virtuosity rarely matched.

In 2024, Michel Plessix was the focus of an auction organized by Daniel Maghen Enchères, featuring exceptional artworks from Le Vent dans les Saules and Le Vent dans les Sables, which achieved excellent results. The top lot was the original cover of the complete edition of Le Vent dans les Saules (2002), estimated at €6,000 and sold for €16,900 including tax.

To preserve your works on paper, we recommend that you never expose them to direct light, as UV rays can damage the mediums used. Paintings made with pastel or charcoal require special care to avoid rubbing. Works containing watercolor are particularly sensitive to light, unlike gouache and acrylic.
We advise you to display them away from windows, and to use frames made from pH-neutral conservation materials and “Museum” glass with anti-UV and anti-reflective treatment. If you prefer to keep your works unframed, we recommend storing them flat, in drawing cartons, with sheets of pH-neutral permanent paper in between. Keep them away from light and humidity.

A Breton author, comic artist and watercolorist from Saint-Malo, Michel Plessix (1959–2017) trained under Jean-Claude Fournier before launching his career in the 1980s with Mark Jones (1987, Lucien Souny) and then Julien Boisvert (1989–1995, Delcourt). He achieved great success with the adaptation of the novel Le Vent dans les Saules (The Wind in the Willows, 1996), followed by Le Vent dans les Sables (The Wind in the Sands) published by Delcourt. He also wrote the scripts for Les Forell (1997–1998, Dargaud) and two episodes of La Famille Passiflore (2014–2015) published by Dargaud. His final album, Là où vont les fourmis (Where the Ants Go, 2016, Casterman), was published before his passing in 2017 at the age of 57, while he was working on a new project.