Meet Joanna Journo | Gallery owner, publisher and agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joanna Journo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joanna, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My gallery exists thanks to the magic of Instagram.

I had originally created an Instagram account, in September 2020, One day a sempe, dedicated to the work of this great illustrator, also known in the United States thanks to his magnificent covers for the New Yorker.

When this account was closed in June 2021 for various reasons (with more than 44,000 followers!), I created “one day an illustration” the same day, to introduce a different artist or series of images on a theme each day.

This account has allowed me to make extraordinary encounters … to the point of opening my own gallery in September 2022!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My great pleasure today, when I think of the creation of my Instagram account and now my gallery, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, is all the wonderful links and encounters that this allows every day. The visitors and subscribers to the Instagram account (more than 53,000 subscribers to date) are incredibly kind, gentle and passionate.
It’s a real pleasure to think that I will meet such incredible people every day!
Artists, publishers, simple enthusiasts of drawing and illustration… the gallery is a warm meeting place, a little cocoon far from the noise of the outside world.

I also have the pleasure of working in collaboration with a New York-based gallery, Philippe Labaune. And it’s just great to think that an artist I discovered on my phone screen on Instagram in February 2022 (Alexis Bruchon) is now exhibiting in New York

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Paris is a city where you never get bored!

My favourite districts:
The 9th arrondissement, with its beautiful Rue des Martyrs, Avenue Trudaine, its proximity to the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre.

I also love the Jacquelart Andre Museum in the 8th arrondissement.
Le petit palais, which always has fabulous exhibitions.

Since my gallery moved to the 7th arrondissement, I have discovered the Left Bank. It’s like living in a Sempé drawing!
The Luxembourg Gardens are a little green jewel in the heart of the city.
The architecture around it is very beautiful.

I also recommend Le Marais: it’s lively, there are always charming shops and great cafés and places to live
I think my favourite place in Paris is the bookstores, no matter how big they are or where they are.
One of my favourites is L’écume des pages, on boulevard Saint Germain.

Parc Monceau is also a nice park, maybe less known than the others (located in the 17th arrondissement).

The Louvre is one of my favourite museums too, along with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Grand Palais (which should reopen soon!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Several people deserve my eternal gratitude: First of all Sempe! Without my passion for his work, I would never have thought of opening this Instagram account

And Raymond Peynet! I met the owner of my lovely gallery during an exhibition I had organised in May 2021 in an event venue around the work of Peynet (creator of the mythical couple of lovers!).
Without our common passion for Peynet, I would probably never have met him.

I am also infinitely grateful to the artists with whom I work and who have trusted me since the beginning of this adventure. Kerascoët, Alexis Bruchon, Gregoire Solotareff, Petites Luxures, Maggie Cowles, Nathaniel H’limi, Sophie, Raymond Peynet’s granddaughter, Marc MAJEWSKI, Cécile Becq…

Website: www.unjouruneillustration.com

Instagram: @unjour.uneillustration

Image Credits
Crédit – galerie Un jour une illustration Crédit Joanna Journo