Ian Falconer

American author and illustrator (1959–2023)

Ian Woodward Falconer (August 25, 1959 – March 7, 2023) was an American author and illustrator of children's books as well as a designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He created 30 covers for The New Yorker and also for other publications. He 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 a young niece of his.

Falconer was 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 Und Isolde; in 1992 he assisted Hockney with the Chicago Lyric Opera's production of Puccini's Turandot. In 1992, Falconer designed the costumes (Hockney designed the sets) for The Royal Opera's production of Richard Strauss' 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. 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 Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. In the same year, he designed the sets for Scènes de Ballet. In 2001 he designed the sets and costumes for Felix Mendelssohn's Variations sérieuses. Wheeldon choreographed for both productions of the New York City Ballet. 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. Francis Carlin, a critic, noted, "Ian Falconer’s clever play off between background film and lavish sets climaxes in a stunning society ball." Beginning with the 2015 season, the Pacific Northwest Ballet's The Nutcracker features costumes and sets designed by Falconer.

Ian Woodward Falconer was born on August 25, 1959 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. According to Tom Ford, a designer and filmmaker, Falconer's boyfriends included the artist David Hockney and Ford himself. Ford said in interviews that he and Falconer were good friends since then. Decades after their breakup, Ford used Falconer's surname for the title character of A Single Man, his 2009 film (based on Christopher Isherwood's novel, in which the title character has no surname). Falconer lived in Rowayton, Connecticut, a village within the city of Norwalk. He died from kidney failure in Norwalk on March 7, 2023, at the age of 63.