This artist couple, which started collaboration in 1956, is known for their lively and realistic artwork, enhanced by an in-depth knowledge of historical costumes, uniforms and arms. Though realistic, their illustrations contribute to the story’s readability and dynamics instead of overloading it with detail. Fred Funcken, who has liked to draw ever since he was a young boy, began his career in 1939 as an illustrator for Spirou and Bonnes Soirées, and started to produce comics when he joined Guy Depierre’s studio in 1940. He met Liliane when designing displays for a department store. As a couple they have worked together continuously since 1956, focusing largely on the historical genre, also with ‘Le Chevallier Blanc’, one of their early works. Keen explorers of the history of clothing and arms, they produced L’Encyclopédie des Uniformes et de Armes de Tous les Temps (“The encyclopaedia of uniforms and arms of all times”), which was published in several volumes from 1965 to 1982.

Fred & Liliane Funcken: “Le Chevallier Blanc / The White Knight”, 1955, 31 x 41 cm