Jean-François Allaux is a French-American retired college professor and political artist. He is famed for his less-than-a-decade marriage with Christie Brinkley. His marriage with Brinkley between 1973 and 1981 was the first of her four marriages. The marriage coincided with her career rise as a model, actress, and entrepreneur.
It’s been over 4o years since Allaux and Brinkley went their separate ways yet, their marriage remains one of Hollywood’s talked about relationships. From his life to his marriage and divorce with Brinkley, here is all you need to know.
Jean-François Allaux was Born in Rabat
He was born Jean-François Allaux in Rabat, Morocco yet, he spent a remarkable part of his life in France and the US.
Allaux left Morrocco shortly after the country attained its independence. Though the exact year he left is not known, it likely was sometime in the late 50s considering that Morocco got its independence on March 2, 1956.
In France, he attended the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the Sorbonne. He later moved to the US in 1975.
He Made a Name as an Artist and Teacher at the University of Dartmouth
Brinkley’s ex-husband worked in the academic environment, specializing in the arts. Allaux joined the College of Visual and Performing Art at the University of Dartmouth where he taught art illustration, perspective, and design in 1999.
In his active years, he combined teaching his students and portraying personal expressions through paintings. His works are thought-provoking because they fall within the area of art called political cartoons.
Unsurprisingly, his gifts are not restricted to the classroom and solo works as he is also a member of INX. This international publication provides opinion and easy access to pointed political art.
As an original editorial member, it says a lot about his expertise in making political cartoons.
Moreso, his works have been exhibited worldwide where clients like the New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Mercedes Benz, and United Nations Development Programme patronize. His works have been exhibited at the Galerie Petron, France, Matsuda(Tokyo), and Newport Art Gallery.
For a man who invests in his craft, Alaux received many awards and recognitions from the Society of Publication Designers, Communication Arts, and Art Directors.
The Academic Retired in 2019
BELOVED PROFESSORS RETIRING, MOVING ON TO NEW CHALLENGES: Jean-Francois Allaux and James Edwards retiring from CVPA
Article: https://t.co/djQV5uBhPi pic.twitter.com/5hUQhjB6h2
— UMASSD CVPA (@umassdcvpa) June 11, 2019
According to a 2019 X(Twitter) update shared on the official handle of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts, Allaux is retired.
You may be wondering what he is up to. Well, the creative is still making artwork. Though he keeps a low profile, his Instagram updates show he is passionate about art and traveling. Also, he is a resident of Providence, Rhode Island.
How Allaux and Brinkley Met and Got Married
Jean-François and Brinkley met in France at the onset of her career. They must have shared a deep chemistry as the pair quickly tied the knot in 1973 about the time Brinkley set out in her career.
We say this because she made her modeling breakthrough with appearances on CoverGirl and Glamour. On his own, Allaux was also concentrating on his academic work and arts. Hence for much that we can gather about their marital life, they were both focused on careers.
Thankfully, it paid off. Brinkley became one of the top models with global appeal while Allaux moved to the US, as mentioned earlier. Notably, she appeared for top brands like Glamour and CoverGirl. For the latter, she signed a 25-year contract making it one of the longest modeling contracts.
The Truth About Their Divorce
Despite enjoying career breakthroughs during their union, sadly, we can’t say the same for the marriage because they decided to part ways. Jean-François and Christie divorced in 1981 after 7 years together.
Like many celebrity marriages, there has been curiosity about what truly happened. However, nothing is known and we can only infer that it was possibly due to irreconcilable differences.
See Also: Larry Stith Is Jane Morgan’s Ex-Husband: All About Him
They Moved on with Other Partners
Needless to say, following their failed marriage, Allaux and Christie moved on with other partners.
On his part, Jean-François is married to a woman named Masha Sokolova. From what we gathered, this is his only known marriage since the first.
As of this writing, Christie is not married to anyone. It turns out that she was married three times after she parted ways with Allaux and has sworn off marriage.
Let’s look at her three marriages after the divorce. The model cum actress and entrepreneur got married to Billy Joel, her second husband in 1985. They welcomed a child before parting ways in 1994.
Next, she got married to Richard Taubman the same year she divorced her second husband. They welcomed a child together before divorcing in 1995.
Like previous times, she moved on quickly and married her fourth husband, Peter Halsey Cook. The pair share a child but the marriage ended in divorce. While details about her previous divorce are scanty, her fourth marriage ended due to an affair she had with her assistant.
They had a highly publicized divorce battle which they settled in 2008. Also, the experience has pushed her to swear off marriage.
Is Jean-François Allaux a Father?
The answer is yes, the one-time celebrity husband is a father to two adult children, all sons, Alexander Allaux and Oliver Allaux.
Based on their social media updates, both sons took after their father’s footsteps as artists in their own right.
