Since 1960, only five French painters have received the Légion d'honneur, the highest award bestowed by the President of the French Republic: Michel Henry, Bernard Buffet, Bernard Cathelin, André Brasilier and Jean Janssens.
Paintings by five Legion of Honor artists
Bernard Cathelin Bernard Buffet Andre Brasilier Jean Janssen
Painting by Michel Henry, a Legion of Honor recipient
I heard that Wise Bash was also awarded the medal recently. Neither Cassignol nor Aizpiri, who are popular in Japan, have received the medal. A French painter is probably awarded the Legion of Honor about once every ten years. Even Raymond Peynet, who I (Galerie Adeka) am the world's number one collector of, was a national favorite in 20th century France, and has museums in Antibes in the south of France and Karuizawa in Japan, and was only awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, not the Legion of Honor.
Let me explain about the Legion of Honor.
The Légion d'Honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is still in use today. It is awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to France in the fields of military, culture, science, industry, commerce, and creativity. It is France's highest order, awarded by the President of the French Republic along with the lower-ranked Order of National Merit. All past presidents and prime ministers have also been awarded the Légion d'Honneur. The Order of Cultural Merit is awarded by the Minister of Education.
The current Légion d'honneur medal on the left, and the medal from the Napoleonic era on the right
French medals are also awarded to foreigners, and many Japanese people receive them because they are highly regarded in France. France is a diplomatic power, and values diplomacy that fosters friendship and trust over war and intimidation. It seems that they consider awarding many medals to foreigners to be a diplomatic tool, and I feel that the selection criteria may be more lenient for foreigners than for French people.
The Legion of Honor Museum
Recent Japanese recipients include architect Ando Tadao and film director Kitano Takeshi, who were previously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit by the Minister of Education, but were recently awarded the Légion d'honneur by the President. Manga artist Taniguchi Jiro is popular in Europe and has been awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, but not the Légion d'honneur. In the business world, recipients include Toyoda Shoichiro, father of current Toyota Motors president Toyoda Akio, and Sony's Morita Akio. Cultural recipients include Oe Kenzaburo, Tsutsui Yasutaka, Ozawa Seiji, and Foujita Tsuguji (naturalized in France).
Takeshi Kitano and Tsuguji Foujita receive the Order of the Rise of Honor
The UK also has an awards system, and people such as Paul McCartney of the Beatles, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and Sean Connery, the original James Bond 007, have been awarded the title of knight, and they are required to put "Sir" before their names.
From left: Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Sean Connery
When you receive the Légion d'honneur, you receive a medal, but since you can't always carry the medal with you, you sew a thin red piece of embroidery about 1-2 cm into the lapel of your suit. Michel Henry had a 1-2 cm red embroidery on the lapel of every suit he wore.
Michel Henry is visiting Japan for an exhibition and enjoying Japanese food. Small red embroidery can be seen on his collar.
Michel Henry, who had an exclusive contract with Galerie Azteca in Japan, is a master painter who appears once every ten years in France.