User:Bel-jon

Nikos Bel-Jon was born Nicholas Fotios Baloyannis in Patras, Greece on March 20, 1911. He was raised in the historic village of Valtisiniko, Arcdia, 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 Ecole des Beaux Artes and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris, France under a scholarship from the Government of Greece in 1938. Bel-Jon He studied Byzantine art at the Mt. Athos Monastery 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. 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.

Bel-Jon Came to the United States from France on April 17, 1946 and found his way to Los Angeles, CA 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 ______________________ 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 with his technique for 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.

He moved to San Francisco, CA. in 1949. In 1951{?} Bel-Jon opened a studio on Maiden Lane where he honed his beautiful and unique technique and launched his brilliant career.

Nikos and Troy had two daughters, Athena Fotini Bel-Jon DeBonis and Rhea Panayiota Bel-Jon Calkins. In 19(?) he changed his name from Nicholas Baloyannis to Nikos Bel-Jon in and became a citizen of the United States in 1952.

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 Studebaker with clay and fiberglass and then covered it with colored metal mosaics. 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, NY. He opened a studio in an old synagogue on east 72nd Street and then later in a carriage house on East 69th Street.

Bel-Jon was decorated by the Hellenic Republic in 1963(?) at the Greek Consulate in New York in recognition of his wonderful art and contribution to Greek heritage. He died in New York, NY on August 11, 1966. His wife Troy continued his work after his death.

The Work of Nikos Bel-Jon

Bel-Jon painted with light. His paint brush was a handful of steel wool and his palette was refracted light. The illusion of form and motion was achieved in his murals by the refraction and diffusion of light from the many and varied angles of buffed and burnished metal surfaces. As one moves past the murals, the color and design of the work seem to change because of the many angles of reflectivity. What makes his work spectacular are the specially arranged lighting systems that give the murals a sparkling iridescence in ever changing color tones. These lights, reflecting from the facets of countless “scratches”, vividly project his murals’ figures. When the lights are turned off, the murals take on a silvery-white appearance with grey to black shadows.

His works encompassed murals, decorative structural applications, dividers, doors screens, windows, tables and other appointments - - in brushed design on sheet metals; mosaics of metals; relief mosaics with reinforced plastic; gilded bas relief, free form murals with custom colored aluminum; and translucent mosaics with metals, plastic and colored glass. His style ranged from representational works to abstract forms.

Bel-Jon’s innovative art was commissioned by everyone from Fortune 500 companies to private individuals and ranged in size from four to over three hundred square feet. His work was chronicled in major publications like the American Artist, San Francisco Chronicle, Architectural Record, New York Mirror, Popular Mechanics and numerous industry periodicals. Unfortunately, many of the companies who commissioned Bel-Jon are no longer in existence. Bel-Jon’s daughters are trying to trace the current locations many works. A partial list of his art includes.

Early Works Nude Under A Tree – Bel-Jon Family – Painting Lovers on the Bay - Bel-Jon Family – Painting Landscape - Bel-Jon Family – Painting Women on the Road - Bel-Jon Family – Painting Melancholia - Bel-Jon Family – Painting Journal of Mt. Athos – Bel-Jon Family – Pen and Ink Sketches Various – Bel-Jon Family – Pen and Inks, small watercolors and paintings Transparencies of several paintings – Bel-Jon Family

1948(?) – 1958

Hunter Engineering, Riverside CA Metal Mosaic “Inspiration” 8’ x 12’ General Motors, Detroit, MI 2 spheres of tinplate steel, 400 sq. ft. each Tidewater Oil (Now Conoco Phillips), Los Angeles, CA 2 aluminum murals 8’6” x 16’4” each for lobby Federal Bureau of Investigations –, Washington D.C. Aluminum portrait of J. Edgar Hoover (now in Clarksburg, WV) Church of the Annunciation, San Francisco, CA Mosaic of various metals, “The Annuncaition”, 12’ x 7’ (The mural was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake in 1989.) American Society for Metals, Cleveland OH

7 panels “History of Iron”

Kaiser Industries – Various plants 6 - 10’ x 24’ aluminum murals 1 - 12’ x 15’ aluminum mural 1 – 8’ x 16’ tinplated steel mural 1 – 8’ x 12’ tinplated steel mural Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Kaiser 4’ x 6’ translucent mosaic National Steel, Weirton WV (Now Arcelor Mittal) ?’ x ?’ Tinplate steel mural of ”Foundry” Rand McNally, San Francisco, CA Customer colored anodized aluminum map Reynolds Metals Company – San Francisco, CA 5’ x 8’ lobby mural Residence of Dr. and Mrs. A. Athanasiou, San Francisco, CA Opaque wall mosaic of metals Translucent mosaic for fireplace Continental Can Company – Various offices 5 – 5’ x 10’ aluminum murals 1 – 12’ x 15’ aluminum mural Mayor George Christopher, San Francisco, CA 5’ x 12’ aluminum composite of civic activities (currently at the Christopher Center at the Holy Trinity Church in San Francisco) National Turkey Federation, Morris, IL 5’ x 12’ aluminum mural San Francisco Brewing Corp (Burgermeister), San Francisco, CA 10’ x 24’ mural (Currently at Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico, CA) Sturgis Posture Chairs, Sturgis, MI 2 – 5’ x 12’ aluminum murals Food Machinery and Chemical Corp., San Jose, CA 9’ x 20’ aluminum mural Residence of Mr. & Mrs. Skaggs – Skaggs Drug Chain, Salt Lake City UT Translucent mosaic of various metals embedded in plastic for fireplace St. Francis Hospital Pharmacy – San Francisco, CA 2 – 5’ x 12’ aluminum murals Cartun Tours, San Francisco, CA 5’ x 12’ Aluminum mural map San Francisco Federal Savings 36” sphere Horizon Room – Oakland, CA. 2 – 5’ x 12’ aluminum murals Colonial Savings and Loan Company – San Francisco, CA 10’ x 12’ mural of San Francisco Residence of Mr. and Mrs. F.A. Carpenter, Riverside, CA Aluminum mural Tansul, Inc., Cleveland, OH 5’ x 20’ aluminum mural Stewart Hotel, San Francisco, CA 3 full sized aluminum mosaic figures Gods Bring Gifts to Athena – Bel-Jon Family – Gilded, carved Wood Bas Relief Zeus – Bel-Jon Family – Filded Carved Wood Bas Relief Table Victorian Lady - Bel-Jon Family - Aluminum Pieeta - Bel-Jon Family - Aluminum Chemistry Lab - Bel-Jon Family – Anodized Aluminum Mosaic Rooster 1 - Bel-Jon Family – Aluminum Mosaic Rooster 2 - Bel-Jon Family – Aluminum Mosaic Nude in a Stream Bel-Jon Family – Aluminum Tahitian Woman – Bel-Jon Family – Bas relief aluminum mosaic Bel-Jon Studios - Bel-Jon Family – Raised Anodized Aluminum and Fiberglass Greek Woman - Bel-Jon family - Copper Repouse Byzantine Eagle – Bel-Jon Family – translucent mosaic Cretan Woman - Bel-Jon Family – Translucent Mosaic Geometric Man - Bel-Jon Family – Aluminum

1959 – 1966 (Note: List is currently being compiled)

History of Medicine - Chas. Pfizer Industries, New York, NY 42’ Brass, Bronze, Copper and Aluminum Mosaic and Panel Mural Pfizer restored this mural in 20?? and rededicated it in the Lobby of their Corporate Headquarters at ____ East 42nd Street in New York, NY. The mural is listed in “Best Public Art in New York” by ____________________. Man In Space - American Iron & Steel Institute – Temporary exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL 24’ stainless steel mural Royal Greek Consulate, New York, NY Air India, New York, NY – Brass, bronze and colored metal mosaic Air India, Philadelphia, PA - Brass, bronze and colored metal mosaic Air India, New York World’s Fair Library of Music, Lincoln Center, New York, NY Morriston Steel company, NJ Otis Elevator Residence of Dr. and Mrs. George Petropoulos, Potomac MD 3 aluminum murals of the Greek Gods 1 Metal mosaic of Mozart and music Reynolds Metal, Richmond _______________Restaurant – Baltimore. MD The Simmons Co. – High Point, NC United States Steel Company, Pittsburgh, PA Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco, CA Radio City Music Hall - Easter Pageant exhibit, New York, NY Mosaic “Pieta” later purchased by Ruth Ellington, New York, NY Ambassador Apartments, Freeport NY Athena East Restaurant, New York, NY Seals – Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Bird in Space - Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Madonna - Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Owl - Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Two Women - Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Faces - Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Sails – Bel-Jon Family - Stainless Map of the World – Bel-Jon Family – Glass and metal Panels – Bel-Jon Family – Brazing rods on Metal

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Town and Country Travel Ziest Apartments, San Francisco, CA Cleveland Iron Works, Detroit, MI Andrews Air Force Base - Troy Woman with a basket = Athens, Greece