Jean-François Kowalski
Before Jean-François Kowalski established KNY Studio, he designed and published books and magazines for ten years at his Paris-based publishing company. His projects then included high-end publications on pop culture and featured works by photographers Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth, and Bettina Rheims. Indisputably passionate about graphic design, photography, new media, and print even from a young age (he launched his first magazine at age 15), Jean-François Kowalski has a creatively mischievous streak, too: In the fall of 2008, he developed and published The Nicolas Sarkozy Voodoo Kit, which, aside from annoying the President of France, instantly became an international media sensation (Sarkozy tried through the courts—and failed—to have the product pulled from the market) and “a best-selling cult item” (New York Times). The French titles Jean-François published back then were distributed by Le Seuil.
Jean-François Kowalski made the decision to move to the United States when Lady Luck selected his application to the Green Card lottery. He now lives and works in New York City.