The Best of World Comics on Exhibition at the Center Pompidou: A Journey Through 60 Years of Creation

Mise à jour 3 juin 2024 par Redak

The Center Pompidou in Paris is hosting an exceptional exhibition dedicated to world comics, bringing together emblematic works from Europe, the United States and Japan. From Wednesday, this exhibition, designed in partnership with the Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund, offers visitors an unprecedented dive into the history and evolution of the 9th art.

An Unprecedented Celebration of Comics

Entitled “Comics, 1964-2024”, this exhibition marks a first in its scale and the rarity of the works presented. The exhibition curators, Emmanuèle Payen and Anne Lemonnier, have brought together more than 750 original plates, cover drawings, notebooks and unpublished interviews with 130 artists, a quarter of whom are authors. The exhibition retraces 60 years of the history of comics, highlighting the three main centers of creation: Europe, Japan and the United States.

An Immersive and Innovative Scenography

The exhibition design unfolds across 12 thematic rooms, offering an immersive experience to visitors. Suspended picture rails intersect giant screens showing films and digital works created live on tablets by artists such as Zeina Abirached, Pénélope Bagieu and Martin Panchaud. Never-before-seen wall creations by Blutch and Chris Ware add a unique dimension to this exhibition.

The 1960s: A Turning Point for Comics

The exhibition begins with the turn of the 1960s, an era marked by the emergence of the counterculture. “We then move from a rather childish comic strip with Tintin, Spirou, to works intended for an adult audience with Pilote and the irreverent Hara Kiri, in France, or the avant-garde monthly Garo, in Japan, which addresses more intimate themes on autobiography”, explains Lucas Hureau, scientific advisor to the exhibition.

Underground Comics and Barbarella

The 1960s also saw the rise of American underground comics and the publication of the album “Barbarella” by Jean-Claude Forest in 1964, which shook up the codes of comics. At the beginning of the 1970s, the “Bazooka” collective intervened in the daily Libération with a modern vision. Humor, autobiography, science fiction and adventure are becoming the new codes of contemporary comics.

Unpublished and Rare Works

Among the treasures of the exhibition, original plates from the manga “Doraemon” by Fujiko F. Fujio are on display for the first time in France. Also in the spotlight is Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes,” featuring an imaginative child and his sarcastic stuffed tiger. Hideshi Hino’s album “The Girl from Hell” and horror manga masterpieces are on display alongside works by Lorenzo Mattotti inspired by Bob Dylan.

Meetings and Themes

Thematic rooms create encounters around dreams, laughter, anticipation and intimate stories. Works by André Franquin, Gotlib, Claire Brétécher, Catherine Meurisse, Osamu Tezuka, Philippe Druillet and Moebius dialogue with those of Edmond Baudoin, Alison Bechtel and Ulli Lust. The memorial stories of Emmanuel Guibert and Marjane Satrapi complete this rich and varied exploration.

Dialogues between Historical Masters and Modern Art

Six monographs by historical masters of comics, including Hergé, interact with the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art. Contemporary authors exhibit their boards in resonance with works by Magritte, Rothko, Picabia and Van Doesburg, thus creating bridges between comics and contemporary art.

Homages and Contemporary Creations

The public information library pays homage to the romantic adventures of Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt, while the children’s gallery hosts an immersive installation by Marion Fayolle around the nomadic camp. The Lagon magazine, founded and published by a collective, takes over the basement with complete series of comics by 25 emerging artists, offering a showcase for the most experimental creation of comics.

Side Events and Meetings

In parallel with the exhibition, the Center Pompidou is programming a series of concerts, discussions, conferences, performances and workshops until July 7. The first weekend will see the participation of prestigious guests such as Art Spiegelman, author of “Maus”, and the Lebanese Zeina Abirached.

This exhibition at the Center Pompidou is a unique opportunity to discover and celebrate the best of world comics, offering a rich and diverse panorama of this constantly evolving art.

Cyril CH

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