When Georges Remi was a little boy in Brussels, his mother used to take him to the movies once a week. When he grew up, he created the famous character of Tintin, first published in the magazine « Le petit Vingtième » (The little twentieth) in 1929. And he went on to draw the very real adventures of Tintin around the world, with the most precise details and a genius at drawing. I spent my holidays, like millions of French and Belgian children, reading Tintin every summer, and it was as addictive as watching a well known movie again and again.
The first images we see in the show at the Grand Palais are seven paintings from the sixties done by the artist, and an interview of philosopher Michel Serres who describes how he takes pleasure in sharing this fabulous read with his children and grandchildren. The French television broadcast « La grande Librairie » was devoted to intellectuals who adore Tintin on the 22nd of September and many of my clever friends know his stories by heart.
“From 7 to 77” is the motto of Hergé and when my mother turned 78, she sadly said « I am no longer allowed to read Tintin »…
His adventures on the moon, in Egypt, in Peru or in Tibet, only rival his quest for America and for Scotland. Hergé (his initials GR are inverted) had enough fascinating friends who were scientists or explorers that he could question when he wrote his stories. So everything is accurate. And his vision of society is hilarious including the Castafiore, the famous singer.
The Chinese man he befriended when he wrote « Tintin in Tibet », Tchang, was close to him allis life and he is the father of Sophie Tchang, the curator of the Hergé museum in Louvain, Belgium. Her e mail address is @moulinsart.be!
A model of the space rocket that landed on the moon is exhibited there, and many lovely films are shown of him being interviewed with a slight Belgian accent. His drawings needed working and reworking for hours and he was a very intense artist. Little by little he switched from black and white drawings to color.
« Tintin c’est moi », I am Tintin, he declares one day… Painted by Andy Warhol in 1977, he is a great collector of contemporary art, mixing Fontana and Wesselman, Dubuffet, Poliakoff and Alechinsky on the walls of his house. Six paintings of the Rouen cathedral by Roy Lichtenstein are in the show.
There is a huge collection of foreign editions of Tintin on a wall and I wonder if my friend Joseph de Vilmorin who owns some in most languages will discover anything her? The curators have made a big effort in painting decors with his characters and showing as many films as possible.
Yet, the space of Grand Palais is so large that the exhibition floats a bit. Drawing experts will enjoy seeing the different stages of creativity of this man who also loved advertising. But I personally would have preferred a smaller scale and a more intimate decor. (until January 15, 2017)
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One Comment on “Tintin invades the Grand Palais”
I can’t wait to see this exhibition – un de ces Belges qui ont fait la France….