Bel-Jon's birth
Family moves to Athens
Enters Superior School of Fine Arts in Athens
Receives BFA degree
Returns to Superior School of Fine Arts for his masters
First major exhibit
Takes a break and travels to Mt. Athos to study iconography
Receives MFA
Awards
Accepts position as professor at School Sophianopoulos in Athens
Paints and teaches private students on the side
Enters government service as the Private Secretary to the Minister of Education
Promoted to First Secretary of the Education Department, Director of Fine Arts
Given a scholarship from the Greek government to continue his studies in Paris.
Attends L'Ecole des Beaux Artes and L'Ecole du Louvre.
Returns to Greece to serve in the Greek army in WWII
Wounded in action
Returns to government service
Paints and teaches private students on the side
Is offered a scholarship from the government of France. He is given a three
year leave of absence to complete his studies
Continues at L'Ecole des Beaux Artes and L'Ecole du Louvre.
Sails to NY with diplomatic visa and becomes the first post war Greek artist to arrive
in the US.
Reconnects with Jane Richardson Hanks and Nicholas Spiros in NY and Nicholas
Matsoukas who puts him in touch with Fox Studios in LA for a job.
Goes to LA and works for Fox Studios painting scenery
Meets Troy Kendall
Marries Troy in Reno on March 24, 1947
Begins experiments with metal
Sells first small "paintings" on aluminum
Athena Fotini Baloyannis was born
Arranges scholarship for Vasso to study at Bennington through Jane Hanks
Moves to San Francisco and gets jobs through the painters union
Troy leaves Nikos and takes Athena back to LA
Nikos begins to work more steadily with Eckels and Clever painting murals, many
for movie theaters.
Paints murals for the famous Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles
Forms short lived partnership with Don Clever
Early Studio and misc. art
Changes name to Nikos Bel-Jon
* Burgermeister, San Francisco, CA
* St. Francis Hospital (2 murals), San Francisco, CA
* Mystery Airplane, Oakland Airport
Troy and Athena return to San Francisco
Troy becomes an integral part in Bel-Jon's studio. She essentially is his PR person
and agent.
Splits with Don Clever and opens his own studio
* KaiserIndustries - 1951 - 1957
* Mayor George Christopher, San Francisco, CA
* Colonial Savings Bank, San Francisco, CA
Becomes United States citizen on November 5, 1952 and officially changes his name
to Nikos Bel-Jon
* J. Edgar Hoover for the FBI
* American Society for Metals - 7 murals
* American Tansul
* National Turkey Federation
* Continental Can - 5 murals 1953 - 1957
Bel-Jon's life in SF
* Food Machinery & Chemical Headquarters, San Jose, CA
* General Motors - 2 murals for Motorama Show
Rhea Panayiota Bel-Jon was born
Develops techniques for translucent mosaics
* Mid 1950's Studio and misc art
* Reynold's Metal - San Francisco, CA
* Church of the Annunciation
* Horizon Restaurant
* Dr. & Mrs. Athanasiou
Family travels to Greece
* Edgar Kaiser's home
* Skaggs Pharmacies, Salt Lake City, Utah
* Stewart Hotel - San Francisco, CA
* Sturgis Posture Chairs, Sturgis, MI
* Hunter Engineering, Riverside, CA
* Tidewater Oil, Los Angeles, CA
* "Athena" - the Bel-Jon car
* Rand McNally, San Francisco, CA
* Cartan Travel, San Francisco, CA
* Late 1950's Studio and misc art
Expectations
Experiments with new techniques on stainless steel
Family leaves SF and travels cross country in "Athena"
Family arrives in NY long after planned, with no place to stay.
Troy finds their new home and studio in a old synagogue at 310 East 72nd Street
Studio opening
* Pieta is loaned to Radio City Music Hall
* NY Studio pieces
* National Steel, Chrysler Building, NY, NY
* Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Headquarter Lobby, 42nd Street, NY, NY
* Dr. & Mrs. George Petropoulos, Potomac, MD
* Drocenes Restaurant, Baltimore, MD
* Town and Country Travel, San Francisco, CA
* AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute - Installed in the Museum of Science and
Industry in Chicago, IL
* US Steel - Pittsburgh, PA
* Goose Bay Air Force Base, Newfoundland, Canada and other Ariston
collaborations
* Morristown Steel, New Brunswick, NJ
* Royal Greek Consulate, NY, NY
* Rand McNally, San Francisco, CA
Bel-Jon is awarded the "Order of Phoenix" medal by the Hellenic Republic
Air India
Bel-Jons move to a carriage house at 159 East 69th Street
Bel-Jon is awarded the "Order of Phoenix" medal by the Hellenic Republic
Nikos Bel-Jon's career comes to an early end when he dies at the age of 55.
Family moves to Athens
Enters Superior School of Fine Arts in Athens
Receives BFA degree
Returns to Superior School of Fine Arts for his masters
First major exhibit
Takes a break and travels to Mt. Athos to study iconography
Receives MFA
Awards
Accepts position as professor at School Sophianopoulos in Athens
Paints and teaches private students on the side
Enters government service as the Private Secretary to the Minister of Education
Promoted to First Secretary of the Education Department, Director of Fine Arts
Given a scholarship from the Greek government to continue his studies in Paris.
Attends L'Ecole des Beaux Artes and L'Ecole du Louvre.
Returns to Greece to serve in the Greek army in WWII
Wounded in action
Returns to government service
Paints and teaches private students on the side
Is offered a scholarship from the government of France. He is given a three
year leave of absence to complete his studies
Continues at L'Ecole des Beaux Artes and L'Ecole du Louvre.
Sails to NY with diplomatic visa and becomes the first post war Greek artist to arrive
in the US.
Reconnects with Jane Richardson Hanks and Nicholas Spiros in NY and Nicholas
Matsoukas who puts him in touch with Fox Studios in LA for a job.
Goes to LA and works for Fox Studios painting scenery
Meets Troy Kendall
Marries Troy in Reno on March 24, 1947
Begins experiments with metal
Sells first small "paintings" on aluminum
Athena Fotini Baloyannis was born
Arranges scholarship for Vasso to study at Bennington through Jane Hanks
Moves to San Francisco and gets jobs through the painters union
Troy leaves Nikos and takes Athena back to LA
Nikos begins to work more steadily with Eckels and Clever painting murals, many
for movie theaters.
Paints murals for the famous Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles
Forms short lived partnership with Don Clever
Early Studio and misc. art
Changes name to Nikos Bel-Jon
* Burgermeister, San Francisco, CA
* St. Francis Hospital (2 murals), San Francisco, CA
* Mystery Airplane, Oakland Airport
Troy and Athena return to San Francisco
Troy becomes an integral part in Bel-Jon's studio. She essentially is his PR person
and agent.
Splits with Don Clever and opens his own studio
* KaiserIndustries - 1951 - 1957
* Mayor George Christopher, San Francisco, CA
* Colonial Savings Bank, San Francisco, CA
Becomes United States citizen on November 5, 1952 and officially changes his name
to Nikos Bel-Jon
* J. Edgar Hoover for the FBI
* American Society for Metals - 7 murals
* American Tansul
* National Turkey Federation
* Continental Can - 5 murals 1953 - 1957
Bel-Jon's life in SF
* Food Machinery & Chemical Headquarters, San Jose, CA
* General Motors - 2 murals for Motorama Show
Rhea Panayiota Bel-Jon was born
Develops techniques for translucent mosaics
* Mid 1950's Studio and misc art
* Reynold's Metal - San Francisco, CA
* Church of the Annunciation
* Horizon Restaurant
* Dr. & Mrs. Athanasiou
Family travels to Greece
* Edgar Kaiser's home
* Skaggs Pharmacies, Salt Lake City, Utah
* Stewart Hotel - San Francisco, CA
* Sturgis Posture Chairs, Sturgis, MI
* Hunter Engineering, Riverside, CA
* Tidewater Oil, Los Angeles, CA
* "Athena" - the Bel-Jon car
* Rand McNally, San Francisco, CA
* Cartan Travel, San Francisco, CA
* Late 1950's Studio and misc art
Expectations
Experiments with new techniques on stainless steel
Family leaves SF and travels cross country in "Athena"
Family arrives in NY long after planned, with no place to stay.
Troy finds their new home and studio in a old synagogue at 310 East 72nd Street
Studio opening
* Pieta is loaned to Radio City Music Hall
* NY Studio pieces
* National Steel, Chrysler Building, NY, NY
* Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Headquarter Lobby, 42nd Street, NY, NY
* Dr. & Mrs. George Petropoulos, Potomac, MD
* Drocenes Restaurant, Baltimore, MD
* Town and Country Travel, San Francisco, CA
* AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute - Installed in the Museum of Science and
Industry in Chicago, IL
* US Steel - Pittsburgh, PA
* Goose Bay Air Force Base, Newfoundland, Canada and other Ariston
collaborations
* Morristown Steel, New Brunswick, NJ
* Royal Greek Consulate, NY, NY
* Rand McNally, San Francisco, CA
Bel-Jon is awarded the "Order of Phoenix" medal by the Hellenic Republic
Air India
Bel-Jons move to a carriage house at 159 East 69th Street
Bel-Jon is awarded the "Order of Phoenix" medal by the Hellenic Republic
Nikos Bel-Jon's career comes to an early end when he dies at the age of 55.
| March 20, 1911 192? 1929 1933 1934 1935 1936 July 1936 January 1937 October 1937 1938 1940 194? 1945 April 17, 1946 May 1946 Summer 1946 1947 April 3, 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 February 27, 1954 1955 1956 1957 July 1959 Feb 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 August 11, 1966 |
| Art Studies in Athens |
| Youth |
| WW II |
| Art Studies in Paris |
| Career in Greece |
| Art Studies in Greece |
| Art Studies in Paris |
| New York |
| Los Angeles |
San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco |
New York New York New York |
| NIKOS BEL-JON - HIS LIFE AND ART |
| Click for life event details and for mural details Click pictures for larger view - Hit backspace to return |
| Career in Greece |
| Mt. Athos |
