Hergé: Master of the Comic Strip

Georges Prosper Remi – born in Etterbeek/Brussels on May 22nd of 1907 – became a renowned cartoonist who chose to sign his drawings with the pseudonym Hergé (RG), standing for his initials read backwards. The adventures of his heroes Tintin and Snowy were first published in 1929 – and nothing could impede their rapid ascent nor weaken their lasting worldwide success. Their exciting feats were translated into numerous languages and devoured by hundreds of millions of readers – notwithstanding their age. The constant flow of Hergé’s inspiration sprang from the reality situations of everyday life, a reliable source likely never to run dry. Before founding his Studios, Hergé, the productive artist, accomplished the challenge of his unique creative mission as a solitary fighter for more than two decades. Georges Remi died in 1983. The artist’s legacy comprises a wealth of works of impressive diversity in its distinctive unequivocal style. It is displayed at the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve near Brussels in the Belgian region of Walloon Brabant.

The unusual exhibition offers a comprehensive insight into the artist’s wide range of creative aptitude. A large number of original plates, photographs, documents and objects have been compiled for visitors to indulge in. „Hergé was not only Tintin. Graphic designer, caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator, storyteller – he was a multi-talented artist and a perfect reflection of the twentieth century“, explain the museum’s operators. The exhibition is housed in a building which in itself represents a piece of art.

Architect Christian de Portzamparc« Louvain La Neuve is built on a straight-edged concrete slab with a car park underneath. It immediately seemed like a good idea to disengage the museum from the town, better to move it away a little towards the woods. This gave rise to a kind of overhanging footbridge crossing the road and making the whole building look a bit like a moored ship, resembling Fitzcarraldo’s great steamship being hauled over the Amazon forest… »

The venue sports the restaurant Le petit Vingtième, which is themed around the cover pages of Le Petit Vingtième, the weekly children’s supplement which published The Adventures of Tintin on 10 June 1929.