You almost have to go up to 7e sky – the 6the floor of the Pompidou Center, in Paris, will be enough – to start exploring the 9e art in all its dimensions. Welcome to the exhibition Comics on all levels. Boards are flourishing – finally! – in one of the greatest museums in the world. On the sixth floor, therefore, twelve thematic sections (from counterculture to themes of dreams or anticipation, for example) frame the visit.
Questioned by our colleagues from France Inter, Anne Lemonnier, one of the two exhibition curators, highlights the hanging of “750 original works that vibrate”a tribute “dizzying and wonderful” to the graphic universe and the narration.
Graphic mastery and still narrative
We are literally caught up in this profusion of imaginations and visions of the world: for the first time, the three sources of comics (Europe, Japan, United States) are brought together.
It is a delightful pleasure to examine the original plates, the astonishing graphic mastery of the designers and the sense of the story of the screenwriters. We like to discover new authors, while contemplating a page by Charles Schulz, the creator of Snoopy.
A father tries to share his passion for Gotlib with his son; here and there, small reading rooms allow visitors to catch their breath before moving on to the next theme. Archival video shows Uderzo (Asterix) dialogue in drawing with Claire Bretécher (The frustrated). The “still story” of Jewels of the Castafiorea Tintin adventure, is skillfully dissected.
Corto Maltese and Marion Fayolle
It’s time to discover the themes of anticipation, of intimate or memorial stories, to laugh, smile, and even cry in front of the boards of mangaka Keiji Nakazawa, who recounts the Hiroshima disaster.
The feeling of vertigo extends to the floors below. At 5e, contemporary authors dialogue with masterpieces from the museum. The photos of Robert Doisneau and the contemplative drawings of Emmanuel Guibert (winner of the Angoulême grand prize in 2020) resonate, as do the works of Francis Bacon and Lorenzo Mattotti. A delight.
In the level 2 library, Corto Maltese, Hugo Pratt’s romantic and revolutionary adventurer, invites himself into the midst of the students. With, here too, a beautiful echo between the graphic narration and the literary dimension of this traveling comic, through reproductions and learned explanations.
On level 1, this time, an exhibition-workshop by Marion Fayolle is offered to young audiences. History of discovering the finesse, humor and poetry of the author. As for the review Lagoon – which has been exploring the links between comics and painting, sculpture or video games for ten years – it takes over level – 1. No trace of comics, however, in the parking lot…
Center Pompidou, in Paris, until November 4.
