Manolo Chrétien

Since June 2025, Manolo Chrétien has been awarded the title of Official Painter of the 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 Award 2025 on this occasion.

Born in 1966 and raised near the Orange Air Force Base in France, Manolo Chrétien has vivid childhood memories of looking out of his bedroom window in admiration at the planes flowing through the sky. As the son of Jean-Loup Chrétien, a test pilot and the first French astronaut, hangars filled with prototypes of jet planes were his playground. He developed his passion for aviation early in life, although it would not be publicly expressed 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 link 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 materials and graphic design. He created a graphic design company focused on extreme sports in Paris in 1991 before moving to Morlaix, France. Chrétien's stunning artworks are represented worldwide in galleries from Paris and Montreal to Singapore and London.