Manolo Chrétien

Since June 2025, Manolo Chrétien has been awarded the title of Official Painter of Air and Space. It was presented to him at the Air and Space Museum in Paris / Le Bourget by the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Army, Jérôme BELLANGER, on September 20, 2025. He received the Air France 2025 award for his work "SQUADRON" on this occasion.

Born in 1966 and raised near the Orange Air Force Base in France, Manolo Chrétien has vivid childhood memories of watching from his bedroom window in admiration as planes flew through the sky. The son of Jean-Loup Chrétien, a test pilot who became the first French astronaut, the hangars filled with prototypes of jet planes were his playground. He developed his passion for aviation early in life, although it would not express itself publicly until later. "I was inspired by the powerful aesthetic imagery of planes, the passion and risk involved, and the developing technology. I believe there is a strong connection between air and art." Deciding to pursue his studies in Paris at the prestigious École des arts appliqués d'Olivier de Serres, Chrétien discovered a passion and talent for fluid dynamics, which he praises throughout his work. The impressive artworks of Manolo Chrétien are represented worldwide in galleries from Paris and Montreal to Singapore and London.