(AP Photo by Thibault Camus)
As previously reported, Paris’s famed Louvre museum is now housing an exhibition featuring comic books by some of the world’s best cartoonists, another signpost on comics’ Road to Global Domination.
The Louvre rarely showcases modern art. That fact alone makes this exhibition worth noting, and since this exhibition is as modern as it gets — the artwork on display is from original books commissioned by the museum. The artists were given essentially free rein, as long as their work included the exhibition’s Theme Ingredient: the Louvre itself.
BoDoi has a look at some pages by the European contributors.
Both Nicolas De Crécy and Marc-Antoine Mathieu have had their contribution to the project published on this side of the Atlantic by NBM Press. De Crécy’s GLACIAL PERIOD was nominated for a 2007 Eisner Award, and Mathieu’s MUSEUM VAULTS achieved similar fame upon its release last January.
The next Louvre book to be published should be Éric Liberge’s ODD HOURS, followed by ROHAN AT THE LOUVRE by Japan’s Hirohiko Araki, and a book by Belgium’s Bernard Yslaire which was created digitally — it seems that the Louvre showed his work on video monitors rather than in frames.
GLACIAL PERIOD was originally published in France in 2005, which testifies to how long this project has been in process, and we’re still years off from seeing all the books published stateside, since Araki and Yslaire have yet to finish their contributions. The exhibition is on display through April 13. Anyone been there yet?
Posted by Aaron Humphrey.
Glacial Period and Museum Vaults are great! I’ll have to keep an eye open for the others.
Got De Crecy’s book for Christmas. Absolutely superb. Glorious artwork and the story is an interesting blending of anthropological science fiction and magical fantasy. Recommend it to anyone looking for an intelligent and thoughtful read about the nature of art.
“Anyone been there yet?”
Andreas Platthaus from the german newspaper FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG is highly disappointed:
http://faz-community.faz.net/blogs/comic/archive/2009/01/25/klickeradoms-auf-dem-weg-nach-angoul-234-me-teil-2.aspx
He writes: “Never did i see an more unimaginative comics exhibition.” (“Noch nie habe ich eine phantasielosere Comicpräsentation gesehen.”)
Just had the chance to visit it last weekend on my way back from the Angouleme Fair. Ain’t big, no, but still quite good at showing work in progress, literally in the making on big screens as well as originals. And hey, it IS a thrill to see comics in the Louvre, damn it!
I talk about it more on our NBM blog:
http://nbmpub.com/blog/2009/02/03/at-the-louvre-now-the-louvre-series-weve-been-publishing/
Well although the Louvre is one of the most fascinating and inspiring builings I have ever been in……….a little light modern art (comic books) would be also inspire. Some of the works in the grand hall depict fairly morbid events throughout history, and the lighter side of art, even a temporary exhibit would be refreshing.
Nick Zaferes
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