Benjamin
Van Blancke

I am Benjamin Van Blancke, an illustrator and artist, dividing my time between Brussels, Berlin and Paris. I work in ink, in black and white as well as in colour, through hand-drawn images informed by history, architecture and the interplay of different temporalities.

Entirely self-taught, I have been drawing since childhood. After three years of studying graphic design in Berlin, I returned to Paris in 2013, where I developed an active illustration practice across press, publishing, institutions and luxury houses. I collaborate on a recurring basis with Le Figaro, XXI, L’Express and L’Éléphant, as well as with institutions such as the Monnaie de Paris and La Poste, for which I have created several postage stamps. I also work with Les Belles Lettres, Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble and ZDF, the German public broadcaster, for whom I have been drawing and animating my illustrations since 2021. For luxury houses, I create bespoke pieces: bottles and packaging, invitations and menus, window displays, limited editions and large-scale works for hotels and exceptional interiors.

Alongside commissioned projects, I develop a personal artistic practice, autonomous and conceived outside any editorial constraints: a space for formal and conceptual research, where drawing becomes a tool for reflection as much as a visual medium.

My work is deeply shaped by history and architecture. Brutalism, Antiquity, the Classical and Baroque periods meet freely in my images, with one constant: the deliberate use of anachronism. Ancient busts rise from industrial landscapes; knights in armour ride across contemporary infrastructure.

Technically, my practice openly follows the old masters — Dürer, Israël Silvestre, Lucas Cranach the Elder — and the tradition of Dutch Golden Age engraving. I build shading, volume and light through meticulous hatching.

Prints of my drawings are available in the online shop. Visit the shop →