From 23 April to 6 October 2013 At the Belgian Comic Strip Center
Spirou passed from hand to hand
As part of the 75th anniversary of Spirou Created on 21 April 1938 to enliven the pages of the weekly children’s comic launched by the publishing house Dupuis, the character Spirou is one of the emblematic characters of the European comic strip. He is one of the few characters who belong to their publisher rather than their creator. As such, he has never stopped evolving over the first three-quarters of a century of his existence, throughout the sixty or so of his adventures published in albums. While his red uniform as a bellhop at the Moustic Hotel has made him famous, it is also a limitation. From Rob-Vel, Jijé and Franquin to Yoann and Vehlmann, Schwartz and Emile Bravo in the 21st century, the score of writers who have endeavoured to recount his adventures have constantly developed the character of Spirou and his entourage.
Curators: Yvan Delporte (+) and JC De La Royère
In collaboration with Dupuis Publishers. With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) Belgian Comic Strip Center Rue des Sables, 20 1000 Brussels (Belgium) Tel: +32 22 19 19 80 www.comicscenter.net visit@comicscenter.net Open every day (except on Monday) from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Press-info: Willem De Graeve: willem.degraeve@comicscenter.net - +32 (0)2 210 04 33 or www.comicscenter.net/en/press, login: comics + password: smurfs
Introduction of the exhibition When Wallonian publisher Jean Dupuis decided, in the spring of 1938, to launch a new children’s magazine, he commissioned an experienced French artist, Rob-Vel, to draw the figure who was to become the mascot and main character of the weekly publication. When he presented the first issue of the Journal de Spirou on 21 April of that year he could not have known that 75 years later, his young hero would still be one of the main actors in the European comic strip… and one of the most active! As Rob-Vel had one foot under the drawing table and the other in the hotel business, Spirou appeared as a bellboy at the Moustic Hotel. He was a mischievous little imp – a real "spirou", as the Wallonians would say - but also courageous, resourceful and generous, the personification of the qualities that the publisher wished to instil in his young readers. They were quickly won over. Gradually the mischievous adolescent gave way to a brave young adventurer, still dressed in red, around whom a succession of artists were to build a human-sized universe peopled with colourful characters introduced mainly by Jijé and then Franquin. Over his 75 years, no less than 22 authors have worked on the adventures of Spirou, quickly joined by Fantasio. They have produced 53 albums in the main series, 4 special issues, 6 "Le Spirou de…" volumes and 16 "Petit Spirou" volumes in which the character reverts to the impish figure from the distant past – not forgetting a number of exceptional projects. For an artist it is both a daunting and an exciting challenge to be entrusted with a world such as Spirou’s. Exceptional savoir-faire is required to work within the constraints of a specific artistic grammar while also imposing one’s own personality on it. As for the many authors who have chosen to pay homage to Spirou in graphic art form over the years, they enrich the collective work with fragments as dazzling as their memories of their own childhood reading. The Belgian Comic Strip Center could think of only two figures close to Spirou and his artists who could be trusted to tell the character’s story, illustrated here with precious documents, sketches and original plates never before displayed. Yvan Delporte (1928-2007) was the influential editor-in-chief of the Spirou magazine for 15 years. His years as editor were among the magazine’s richest (1953-1968). This exhibition is above all Delporte’s, as it was he who sketched it out in broad outline and wrote many of the texts for the BCSC in 2000. The rest of the story is told by JC de la Royère, former editor of Spirou and close friend of Yvan Delporte. 75 years is certainly a very fine age. The Belgian Comic Strip Center is delighted to be joining in the anniversary celebrations in honour of this mischievous young adventurer called Spirou! Jean Auquier, Belgian Comic Strip Center.
Spirou passed from hand to hand
As part of the 75th anniversary of Spirou An exhibition by the Belgian Comic Strip Center Organisers : Yvan Delporte (†) and Jean-Claude De la Royère Scenography : Jean Serneels Texts: Yvan Delporte (†) and Jean-Claude De la Royère Translations: Bureau Philotrans Corrections : Tine Anthoni, Marie-Aude Piavaux Management of original artwork : Nathalie Geirnaert and Dimitri Bogaert Graphic design : Pierre Saysouk Printing : Sadocolor Production: Jean Serneels and the team of the Belgian Comicscenter Communication: Valérie Constant, Willem De Graeve
In collaboration with Dupuis Publishers. With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) The Belgian Comic Strip Center wishes to thank Alec Severin, Antonio Cossu, Axelle Mathieu, Benoît Feroumont, Benoît Fripiat, Christelle et Bertrand Pissavy-Yvernault, Daniel Goossens, David Wautier, Émile Bravo, Fabrice Lebeault, Frank Le Gall, Frank Pé, Frédéric Jannin, Gaëtan Laloy, Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet, Isabelle Franquin, Jean-Marie Smit, Jocelyne Vanderlinden, Laurence Fiévet, Laurent Buob, Linda Louis, Marc Hardy, Olivier Dossogne, Olivier Schwartz, Patrick Verlinden, Paul Becue, Sergio Honorez, Sophie Dumont, Stéphane Godefroid, Thierry Joor, Tome & Janry, Yoann Chivard and Zidrou. Belgian Comic Strip Center Rue des Sables, 20 1000 Brussels (Belgium) Tel: +32 22 19 19 80 www.comicscenter.net visit@comicscenter.net Open every day (except on Monday) from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.
A selection of the exhibited original documents
La Maison prĂŠfabriquĂŠe, the first page of Spirou by Franquin (1946)
JijĂŠ, Spirou et les hommes-grenouilles (1951)
Franquin, Le dictateur et le champignon (1956)
Rob-Vel, La Naissance de Spirou (1938, drawn again in 1957)
Yves Chaland, A la recherche du Bocongo (1982)
Tome et Janry, Spirou Ă New York (1987)
Emile Bravo, Le journal d’un ingénu (2008)
RenĂŠ Follet (2010)
The BELGIAN COMIC STRIP CENTER The Belgian Comic Strip Center? In the land of Smurfs and Tintin, visitors can discover a range of permanent exhibitions, illustrated with original comic strip drawings and unique objects. Simultaneously, there are also several temporary exhibitions on display. The Belgian Comic Strip Center is also the former Waucquez Warehouse, a gem of Art Nouveau by grand master Victor Horta (1906).
Picture by Daniel Fouss
Belgian Comic Strip Center Rue des Sables, 20 1000 Brussels (Belgium) Tel: +32 22 19 19 80 www.comicscenter.net visit@comicscenter.net
Press info: Willem De Graeve: willem.degraeve@comicscenter.net - +32 (0)2 210 04 33 Press Images: www.comicscenter.net/en/press, login: comics + password: smurfs