Ian Woodward Falconer is an American author and illustrator of children's books, and a designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He has created 30 covers for The New Yorker as well as other publications. Falconer wrote and illustrated the Olivia series of children's books, chronicling the adventures of a young pig, a series initially conceived as a Christmas gift for his young niece. Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Falconer graduated from The Cambridge School of Weston, studied art history at New York University, and studied painting at Parsons School of Design and the Otis Art Institute.
Theater designs
Falconer is active in the world of theater design. In 1987, he assisted the artist David Hockney with the costume designs for the Los Angeles Opera's production of Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, and in 1992, assisted Hockney with the Chicago Lyric Opera's production of Pucinni's Turandot. In 1992, Falconer designed the costumes for The Royal Opera's production of Richard Strauss's Die Frau Ohne Schatten at Covent Garden. In 1996, Falconer designed the set for The Atlantic Theater's production of The Santaland Diaries, written by David Sedaris. Of this, the theater critic for The New York Times, Ben Brantley, wrote, "The cartoon cutout set by Ian Falconer looks totally chic in its monochromatic grayness." In 1999, Falconer designed scenery and costumes for the Boston Ballet's production of Firebird, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. That same year, he designed the sets for Igor Stravinsky's Scènes de Ballet, and in 2001, the sets and costumes for Felix Mendelssohn's Variations Sérieuses, both choreographed for the New York City Ballet by Wheeldon. In 2002, Falconer designed the sets and costumes for Stravinsky's Jeu de Cartes, choreographed for the New York City Ballet by Peter Martins. In 2008, Falconer designed the sets and oversaw the installation for the operetta Veronique at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The critic Francis Carlin noted that, "...Ian Falconer’s clever play-off between background film and lavish sets climaxes in a stunning society ball." Starting with the 2015 season, the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker features costumes and sets designed by Falconer.
Personal life
Falconer is openly gay. According to the designer and filmmaker Tom Ford, Falconer's former boyfriends include the artist David Hockney, and Ford himself. Ford has said in interviews that he and Falconer are still good friends. Decades after their breakup, Ford used Falconer's surname for the title character of A Single Man, his 2009 film.
