The Belgian Comic Strip Center (; ) is a museum in central

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium, dedicated to

Belgian comics Belgian comics are a distinct subgroup in the comics history, and played a major role in the development of European comics, alongside France with whom they share a long common history. While the comics in the two major language groups and r ...

. It is located at 20, /, in an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

building designed by

Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. He was a fervent admirer of the French architectural theoris ...

, and can be accessed from Brussels-Congress railway station and

Brussels-Central railway station Brussels-Central railway station (; ) is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and ...

History of the building

The building was designed in 1905 by the world-famous architect

, in

style, and served as a textile department store, the '. After Waucquez's death in 1920, the building began to languish away, and in 1970, the firm closed its doors. Jean Delhaye, a former aide of Horta, saved the building from demolition, and by 16 October 1975, it was designated as a protected monument. Still, the building was in bad shape and victim to a lot of vandalism. In 1980, the architect Jean Breydel and the comics artists

François Schuiten François Schuiten (; born 26 April 1956) is a Franco-Belgian comics, Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series ''Les Cités Obscures''. Biography François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1956.De Weyer, Geert ...

Bob de Moor Robert Frans Marie De Moor (20 December 1925 – 26 August 1992), better known under his pen name Bob de Moor, was a Belgian comics creator. Chiefly noted as an artist, he is considered an early master of the Ligne claire style. He wrote and ...

, Alain Baran, Guy Dessicy, and

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé ( ; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...

, planned to restore the building and give it a new destination as a museum dedicated to the history of

. Originally, the museum would be a homage to Hergé, but he suggested honouring the entire Belgian comics industry. In 1983, Belgian Minister of Public Works, Louis Olivier, decided that the building would be bought by the Direction of Buildings, making it national property. In 1984, a fund was founded, which brought together several

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

and Walloon comics artists. Two years later, the restorations began, with respect for the original architecture, while updating it to modern standards. The

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

s were flown over from Italy and constructed by Italian mosaic workers, because the profession had become obsolete in Belgium. On 6 October 1989, the museum was inaugurated in the presence of

King Baudouin Baudouin (; 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo, before it became independent in 1960 and became the Democratic Republi ...

and

Queen Fabiola Fabiola Fernanda María-de-las-Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón (11 June 1928 – 5 December 2014) was List of Belgian consorts, Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Baudouin from their marriage in 1960 until his death in 1993. ...

. In the Autumn of 2015, the museum started redecorating its permanent exhibition. File:Anciens magasins Waucquez - 07.jpg, Entrance staircase File:Anciens magasins Waucquez - 04.jpg,

lamppost File:Etage MBBD.jpg, Main skylight on the second floor File:Etage bis MBBD.jpg, Second floor

The museum

The ground floor of the museum holds a restaurant, a room dedicated to Victor Horta, a comics' store named "Slumberland" after ''

Little Nemo in Slumberland Little Nemo is a fictional character created by American cartoonist Winsor McCay. He originated in an early comic strip by McCay, '' Dream of the Rarebit Fiend'', before receiving his own spin-off series, ''Little Nemo in Slumberland''. The ful ...

'', a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

with a reading room and a study centre. The first floor has an

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

, a room with original comic book pages by various artists and a room dedicated to

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

, more specifically the Belgian animation industry, such as

Belvision Raymond Leblanc (; 22 May 1915 – 21 March 2008) was a Belgian comic book publisher, film director and film producer, best known for publishing works such as ''The Adventures of Tintin'' by Hergé and '' Blake and Mortimer'' by Edgar P. Jac ...

. The second floor has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the chronological history of the medium in Belgium called "The Museum of Imagination". The exhibit starts off with

and ends with

Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', in the latter of ...

, covering the pioneers of Belgian comics between 1929 and 1958 and with special focus on the magazines '' Spirou'' and ''

Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...

''. Each artist has a room dedicated to his work and designed in a playful way. The final floor is dedicated to the

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

of comics and available for provisional exhibitions. File:Musée Hergé, Brussels 06.jpg, Entrance hall File:Bruxelles rue des Sables 20 1002.jpg, Library File:Publiart.jpg, Entrance to the PUBLIART space File:Musée Hergé, Brussels 04.jpg, Exhibition space

List of the exhibited comics artists

Four artists exhibited are Flemish:

Willy Vandersteen Willebrord Jan Frans Maria "Willy" Vandersteen (15 February 1913 – 28 August 1990) was a Belgian creator of comic books. In a career spanning 50 years, he created a large studio and published more than 1,000 comic albums in over 25 series, sel ...

Marc Sleen Marcel Honoree Nestor ( ridder) Neels (30 December 1922 – 6 November 2016), known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian comics artist. He was mostly known for his humorous adventure comic '' The Adventures of Nero and Co.'', but also created gag comic ...

and

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...

. The rest are Walloon or from Brussels, except for Jacques Martin and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

who were born in France, but published in ''

''. *

- (''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' ( ) is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By 2007, a c ...

'', '' Quick and Flupke'', ''

Jo, Zette and Jocko ''The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Hergé, the writer-artist best known for ''The Adventures of Tintin''. The heroes of the series are two young children, brother and sister Jo and Zette Legran ...

'') *

Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) ...

- (''

Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (), commonly shortened to ''Spirou'', is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European humorous adventu ...

'', ''

Jerry Spring ''Jerry Spring'' is a Franco-Belgian Western comics series created by the Belgian artist Jijé. It made its debut in '' Spirou'' magazine on March 4, 1954. The character aimed to replace the American-made ''Red Ryder'' as Belgian publisher Du ...

'') * Edgar P. Jacobs - (''

Blake and Mortimer ''The Adventures of Blake & Mortimer'' is a Belgian comics series created by writer and comics artist Edgar P. Jacobs. It was one of the first book series to appear in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin'' in 1946, and was subsequentl ...

'') *

- (''

Suske en Wiske ''Spike and Suzy'' (British title), ''Willy and Wanda'' (American title) or ''Luke and Lucy'' (in a 2009 film and video game) (, ) is a Belgian comics series created by the comic book creator, comics author Willy Vandersteen. It was first publis ...

'') *

- (''

The Adventures of Nero ''The Adventures of Nero'' or ''Nero'' was a Belgium, Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of Nero (comic book character), its main character. The original title ranged from ''De Avonturen van Detective Van Zwam, Detectief Van Z ...

'') *

Maurice Tillieux Maurice Tillieux (7 August 1921 – 2 February 1978) was a Belgian writer and comic artist. He is regarded by many as a major figure of post-war Belgian comics. Early life Maurice Tillieux was born in Huy in 1921. At first he studied for th ...

- (''

Gil Jourdan Gil Jourdan is a Belgian detective comic strip created by Maurice Tillieux. It is a combination of mystery, adventure and humour. Origin and premise In 1956 the Belgian comic magazine '' Héroïc Albums'' ceased publication. ''Felix'', the a ...

'') *

Bob De Moor Robert Frans Marie De Moor (20 December 1925 – 26 August 1992), better known under his pen name Bob de Moor, was a Belgian comics creator. Chiefly noted as an artist, he is considered an early master of the Ligne claire style. He wrote and ...

- (''

Cori, de Scheepsjongen ''Cori, de Scheepsjongen'' ("Cori, the cabin boy"/ "Cori Le Moussaillon" in French) was a Belgian comics series (1951–1993) by Bob de Moor. It is a historical adventure strip set in the 16th century, drawn in a realistic style with much attenti ...

'') *

André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are ''Gaston (comics), Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to ...

- (''

'', ''

Marsupilami ''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in th ...

'', ''

Gaston Lagaffe ''Gaston'' is a Belgian gag-a-day comic strip created in 1957 by the Belgian cartoonist André Franquin in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. The series, serving as a spin-off of the magazine's primary series ''Spirou et Fantasio ...

'', '' Franquin's Last Laugh'') * Jacques Martin - (''

The Adventures of Alix ''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Although the series is ren ...

'') *

- (''

Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western (genre), Western bande dessinée, comic album series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris (cartoonist), Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborati ...

'') *

Paul Cuvelier Paul Cuvelier (22 November 1923 – 5 July 1978) was a Belgium, Belgian comics artist best known for the comic series ''Corentin (comics), Corentin'', published by Le Lombard, which first appeared in the first issue of ''Tintin (magazine), Tintin ...

- ('' Corentin'') *

Victor Hubinon Victor Hubinon (26 April 1924 – 8 January 1979) was a Belgian comic-book artist, best known for the series '' Buck Danny'' and '' Redbeard''. Biography Victor Hubinon was born in Angleur, Belgium, in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Victor Hu ...

- (''

Buck Danny ''Buck Danny'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series about a military flying ace and his two sidekicks serving (depending on the plots) in the United States Navy or the United States Air Force. The series is noted for its realism both in the drawings ...

'') *

- (''

Chick Bill ''Chick Bill'' is a Belgium, Belgian humorous Western (genre), Western comic book series created by Tibet (comics), Tibet. It was first published in 1953 in the magazine ''Chez Nous Junior'', and its Dutch language counterpart '' Ons Volkske'', an ...

'', ''

Ric Hochet ''Ric Hochet'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Tibet (drawings) and André-Paul Duchâteau (scripts). It first appeared on March 30, 1955, in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin''. Synopsis The series features the adventur ...

'') *

Raymond Macherot Raymond Macherot (30 March 1924 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian comics artist, most famous for his satirical funny animal series ''Chlorophylle'' and '' Sibylline''. Although not nearly as famous as fellow Belgian cartoonists such as Hergé ...

- (''

Chlorophylle Chlorophylle is a Belgian comics series and Raymond Macherot's best known work, alongside '' Sibylline''. It is a fantasy comic about anthropomorphic forest animals, including the title character Chlorophylle, who is a dormouse. Description ...

'', '' Sybilline'') *

Jean Roba Jean Roba (28 July 1930 – 14 June 2006) was a Belgian comics author from the Marcinelle school. His best-known work is ''Boule et Bill''. Biography Jean Roba was born in Schaerbeek, Belgium.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Roba". In België gestript ...

- (''

Boule et Bill ''Boule et Bill'' (known in English as ''Billy & Buddy'') is a popular comics, comic, created in 1959 by Franco-Belgian comics, Belgian Comic book creator, writer-artist Jean Roba in collaboration with Maurice Rosy. In 2003, the artistic responsib ...

'') *

- (''

Johan and Peewit ''Johan and Peewit'' (, ) is a Belgium, Belgian comics series created by Peyo and named after the two main characters. Since its initial appearance in 1947, it has been published in 13 albums that appeared before the death of Peyo in 1992. Therea ...

'', ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

'') File:Gaston Lagaffe monument. Boulevard Pachéco. Brussels.jpg, ''

'' File:Belgian Comic Strip Center + Lucky Luke.jpg, ''

'' and ''

Jolly Jumper Jolly Jumper is a horse character in the Franco-Belgian comics series ''Lucky Luke'', created by Belgium, Belgian artist Morris (comics), Morris. Described as "the smartest horse in the west" and able to perform tasks such as chess-playing and tig ...

'' File:Musée Hergé, Brussels 10.jpg, ''

Marc Sleen Museum

Since 2009, directly across the Belgian comics museum, in the same street, another comics-themed museum can be found, the Marc Sleen Museum, dedicated to the work of Belgian comics artist

. On 30 January 2023, it was announced that the museum would close down in the autumn, with part of the collection being integrated into the Belgian Comic Strip Center.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Geert De Weyer, ''België gestript'' (in Dutch), Lannoo, Tielt (2005), p. 77–78 (ISBN 978-9-462-10202-6) *

External links

* * {{ACArt Museums in Brussels City of Brussels Art museums and galleries in Brussels Centre for Comic Strip Art Cartooning museums The Adventures of Tintin Art museums and galleries established in 1989 1989 establishments in Belgium Art Nouveau architecture in Brussels Art Nouveau retail buildings Art Nouveau museum buildings Victor Horta buildings Comics-related organizations

History of the building

The museum

List of the exhibited comics artists

Marc Sleen Museum

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links