Introduction

This site is thus a family project, without any artistical analysis emphasis, but with the simple ambition to rememorate the artist, his work and his artistical and human talents.  The works presented here have been selected for their public fame or as favorites of his immediate family.
In the home page, clicking on Julian photograph will switch you to a another page describing the personality of the artist and the man Julian was.
 
 

Julian Key is the artist name of Julien Keymolen, the well known artist of Zaventem.  He has dedicated all of his professional live to commercial poster design with a remarkable effectiveness.  Beside commercial works, Julien also designed personal works.  The techniques he has been using is silkscreen printing, drawing, pastel and painting.  His many friends and relatives are crazy about them!  Many people are very proud to hang them (display them?) at the walls of their home or at the office.
 
 

Public posters

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Poster for the house building and interior design fair in Brussels.  For many years, this picture has been used as symbol not only for the fair, but also for the whole profession.  The friendly little turtle made of bricks is used as effigy for several advertising supports in relation with the construction world.	Original drawing for the poster "Assubel, l'assureur qui ne vous laisse pas tomber".  Assubel is a live insurance company.	Poster for the "Chat noir" coffee brand name.  First poster without any text.
Poster for the Laurens menthol cigarette brand name.  Fresh... as a fish in water !	Poster for the automobile fair in Brussels.  Its success was so high that the same poster has been used for many years.	Poster "C'est si bien quand c'est peint!". (Embellish it with painting)
Poster for a french speaking newspaper.  It is the Libre Belgique that wakes you up...	Poster for the Mercedes automobile brand name.	Original drawing for the poster "Wereld kartoenaele Knokke Heist".  (World cartoon contest).
top of page	Poster ?	Poster for the Pacha chicory coffee.
Poster for the Knack magazine.	Poster for the Knack magazine.	Poster for the Kromekote paper brand name.
Poster for the 150 years of the Belgian Railways.	Poster for an art and architecture high school in Brussels.	Poster for the Delhaize butcher's department.
Poster for the home modern conveniences in Brussels.	top of page	Poster for the Belgian Railways.
Poster for the environmental rail transport.	Poster for foreign languages education in the belgian flemish community.	Poster for the Tigra cigarette brand name.
Poster for the british week in Brussels.	Poster for Savignac and Julian Key joint exhibition.  Savignac is a master in advertising design in France.	Poster for the Martini aperitif drink. (Martini is grapes).
Poster for the Spa sparkling water brand name.	Poster promoting the flemish education system in Belgium.	top of page
Poster promoting off season holidays.	Poster promoting the railway travel with your car.	Poster for a designers week end in Brussels.
Poster for an advertising campaign promoting the drinking of milk in Belgium.	Poster for the holiday train.	Poster promoting the motorail train use.

Beside advertising posters, Julian has also designed free style works, making use of several techniques as silkscreen printing, drawing, pastel and painting.  As you will see, his works are made of brilliant simplicity.  The subject reaches you immediately, and always propose you a second level reading.  Enjoy watching...
 

Silkscreen : Adam and Eva.	Silkscreen : Lamp.	Silkscreen : Là où il y a du gris, je met du rose (Picasso).	Silkscreen : The matchstick.
Silkscreen : Sex.	Silkscreen : Think.	Silkscreen : Bird.	Silkscreen : The future.
Silkscreen : King Gilette.	Silkscreen : Tribute to Magritte. (Magritte is the famous belgian surrealist artist).	Silkscreen : Billiard play.	Silkscreen : The mousehole.
Silkscreen : Laying black cat.	Silkscreen : Day.	Silkscreen : Night.	Silkscreen : Zoo.
Silkscreen : In the kitchens of Gabrielle Destrée	Silkscreen : Kiss me good night	Silkscreen : Inviting lips.	Silkscreen : Daylight at night.
Drawing : Fish (es?).	top of page	Drawing : The bell.	Pastel : Rachel.
Drawing : Le comte de Labarre. (a belgian folklore puppet).	Drawing : Rachel.	Drawing : Flowers.	Drawing : Icarus.

Julien Keymolen, alias Julian Key was born on the 7th of may 1930 in Zaventem (Belgium), he died in his home in November 1999, victim of a long and painful disease.
Julian has been developping, during more than 40 years, a creative activity of the most originality in the belgian poster advertising world.  He has been participating to numerous exhibitons and specialised biennial events in Belgium and abroad.
His works, considered for some of them as classics by specialists, have been regularly published in international magazines and directories.
 

1945	at the age of 15, he starts working for the painter Félix Tuyaerts (who became his father in law).
1945 à 1950	evening class in Sint-Lukas Hoger Instituut Brussel (Belgium).
1948	at the age of 18, he starts working for the advertising agency Vanypeco (Brussels), he joints the creative team and becomes their popular art director.
1954	won the 3rd price of the "Grand Concours d'art publicitaire" organised by the Rossel press agency (Brussels).
1955	first signed advertising poster for the ELIXIR d'ANVERS, a liquor maker brand name.
1957	training course at the Donald BRUN studio in Basel (Switzerland).
1957	takes part in  the international exhibition "L'affiche de Toulouse Lautrec à nos jours" organised by the Baron Adelin van Ypersele de Strihou in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.  The exhibition catalog enlighted advetising posters of older and modern artists such as Mucha, Steinlen, Cappiello, Cassandre, Donald Brun, Paul Colin, Carlu, Villemot et Julian Key.
1962	mentioned in Who's Who in Graphic Art (volume 1) published by Walter AMSTUTZ in Zurich (Switzerland).
1963	takes part in the international exhibition "Affiches de cinéma" in the ciné-club d'Anderlecht.  (movie film posters).
1966	first poster without any text for the cafés CHAT NOIR (coffee maker brand name).
1966	takes part in the exhibition  "De kunst van het weglaten op de affiche" organised by "Panel P Limburg" in Belgium (the art of simplification in advertising poster design).
1968	takes part as invited guest in the exhibition "Vie du Gaphisme" in the Design Center of Brussels.
1970	won the first price for advertising poster design from the Association Internationale pour l'Horticulture d'Helsinki (Finland).  He has won with his poster "Floralies gantoises 1970" (Gent flowers show).
1970	takes part in the exhibition "L'affiche belge contemporaine" in the Centre Rogier in Brussels (belgian contemporary advertising poster).
1971	in parallel to his intensuve activity of advertising creation, he teaches advertising at the Sint-Lukas High school for graphic art in Brussels where he has been following evening classes when he was jong.
1973	first individual exhibition in the "Galerie D" in Brussels.  Beside his advertising works, some of his private works are displayed for the first time to the public.
1974	takes part in the exhibition "Kartoens in de beuk" à Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle (Belgium).
1974	takes part in the multidisciplinary exhibition "Kunst als kado in WESTRAND" in Dilbeek Belgium (art as gift).
1974	won the price "Humoristishe Gebuiksgrafiek" with his silkscreen work "Sex" in the "Wereld Kartoenale" in Knokke-Heist Belgium (world cartoon contest).
1974	took part in the 29st annual exhibition "Van Dijckkring" in Zaventem.
1974	has been honoured as "chevalier de l'ordre de Léopold 2".
1974	leaves the advertising agency VANYPECO-TROOST to become a free-lancer.
1975	takes part in a group exhibition organised by "Nele & Tijl" in St-Agatha-Berchem Belgium.
1975	individual exhibition of his silkscreen works in the Atelier des 4 saisons in Uccle Belgium.
1975	takes part in the exhibition "De l'Image au Graphisme" in the Museum for Modern Arts of Brussels (from picture to graphism).
1975	with his silkscreens, he won the gold medal in the Grand prix de la presse and the gold medal for the Grand prix du public in the exhibition "Art pour tous" in the Palais du Centenaire of Brussels.
1976	individual exhibition with silkscreens and some advertising posters in the Galerie de la Nouvelle Etuve in Liège Belgium.
1978	joins the team of the advertising agency De Hollander & De Cort in Brussels.
1979	the first signs of his disease came up.
1980	in the frame of Europalia 80 - Belgique 150, he takes part in the exhibition "L'art de l'affiche en Belgique de 1900 à 1980" in the Galerie de la CGER in Brussels (the art of poster design from 1900 to 1980).
1981	group exhibition "3 x Kommunicatie, 3 x Vrijheid" in the restaurant Den Botaniek in Brussels (three times communication, three times freedom).
1981	publishing of the monograph book "Julian Key" by Pierre Baudson at the Lannoo editor (Tielt Belgium).
1981	leaves the advertising agency De Hollander & De Cort (Brussels).
1982	he his the subject of a conference by Pierre Baudson and Luc Van Malderen in the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Brussels (National high school for visual arts).
1982	joins the advertising agency Trëma & Partners in Brussels.
1982	takes part in an exhibition in the "Huis Van Ranst", historical house used as head office for the Banque Paribas in Tirlemont Belgium on the initiative of M. P. Lerno, managing director of the "Sint-Lukas Hoger Instituut van Brussel".
1982	displays his works in the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels, where he is himself a kidney patient in the hemodyalisis department since 3 years now.
1982	mentioned in the Who's Who in Graphic Art (volume 2) published by Walter AMSTUTZ in Zurich (Switzerland).
1983	group exhibition in the Galerij "de Gouden Reaal" in Antwerpen Belgium.
1983	individual exhibition in the Galerij "De Dry Molenijzers" in Zaventem.
1984	gives a lecture on 2 of the post office stamps he designed ("50ème salon de l'auto" et "KMO") in Zaventem.
1984	joint exhibition "Savignac - Julian Key" in the Centre Nicolas de Staël in Braine L'Alleud Belgium).
1984	makes a gift of more than 150 advertising posters to the Musées des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels.  Exhibition of his works in the museums of Antwerp, Brussels, Brno, Warsaw.
1985	individual exhibition "Julian Key 40 ans de dessins, affiches et sérigraphies" organised by the Comité voor Kunstambachten van Brabant in Brussels.
1985	takes part in the exhibition "Un graphiste, pourquoi?" in the Théâtre National de Belgique in Brussels.
1986	exhibition "Rétrospective Julian Key" organised by Horas International in the frame of the "Designers Week End 86".
1987	takes part in the retrospective exhibition "Art graphique et architecture" in the Centre Wallon d'Art Contemporain in Liège Belgium.
1988	takes part in the exhibition "Chats Beauté" in the Galerie Nuances in Brussels.
1988	takes part in the exhibition "Pub & Expo 58" in the Sheraton Advertising Gallery in Brussels.
1988	won the price "Staatprijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap voor Beeldende kunst" in Belgium.
1988	exhibition "Julian Key 40 années d'humour publicitaire" in the Maison de la Culture de Namur Belgium.
1990	becomes member of honour of the Beroeps Vereniging Graphische Vormgeveres (B.G.V.).
1991	takes part in the exhibition "Festival der Grafische Kunsten" in Kobegem Belgium, organised by the company Haseldonckx.
1991	exhibition in the "Sint-Lukas Galerij Brussel" on the initiative of the "Sint-Lukasstichting", and makes and end to his teaching activities.
1992	exhibition in the "Cultuurhoeve Mariadal" in Zaventem.
1993	becomes member of honour of the International Trade Center.
1994	exhibition in the "Provinciaal Museeum" in Leuven Belgium with the photographer Jacques Weygaerts.
1994	individual exhibition "14ème biennale Internationale de la créativité dans l'habitat" in Kortrijk Belgium, under the aegis of the foundation "Interieur".  Several advertising posters are displayed in full format (20 m2).
1994	publishing of the book "The 100 Best Posters of the World" (1945-1990) by TOPPAN PRINTING COMPANY LTD in Japan.  The work of Julian Key is broadly described.
January 1995	group exhibition in the Cabinet d'Art Contemporain in Brussels.
March 1995	conference "Hommage à Julian Key" in the Ecole de Recherche Graphique des Instituts Saint-Luc in Brussels, in the presence of the artist.
April 1995	exhibition "Affiches à vue" in the Maison de la Culture de Namur Belgium.
June 1995	group exhibition in the Cabinet d'Art contemporain in Brussels.
1st November 1999	death of the artist in his home in Zaventem.