Artcurial | Press Release: Comic Strips | 21.11.2015

PRESS RELEASE
09.11.2015
COMIC STRIPS:
HERGÉ, TARDI, HUGO PRATT…
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SALE 21 NOVEMBER 2015
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Hergé, Tintin au Congo, china ink, crayon and white gouache blanche for this third plate from the album published in 1937 by Casterman publishers
(estimate : 300 000 – 500 000 € / 330 000 – 550 000 $) © Hergé/Moulinsart 2015 ; Franquin, Gaston Lagaffe, china ink for board n°500, Journal Spirou
1968 (estimate : 70 000 - 90 000 € / 77 000 – 99 000 $)
Paris – Artcurial’s Comic Strips sale on 21 November will celebrate the big names of what is known as the ‘9th art’. There will
be an entire section devoted to Hergé, the creator of Tintin and also for the first time, a section dedicated to Tardi comprising
some 26 works. Comic Strip authors from the 20th and 21st century will be represented by Hugo Pratt, Enki Bilal and Moebius.
In early October 2015, Artcurial organised its first sale of western Comic Strips in Asia and achieved strong results including two
world records for works by Enki Bilal and Moebius.
“Quality works are getting harder and harder to find. The world of Comic Strips has recently witnessed a renewed enthusiasm.
Our new clients come from all backgrounds, the majority have previously been collecting contemporary and modern art and
appreciate the graphical and historical side of collecting Comic Strips - a world which represents the 20th century and ties in
with Pop Art.” Explained Eric Leroy, Comic Strip expert at Artcurial.
THE UNIVERSE OF TINTIN’S CREATOR
The section dedicated to Tintin will present rare adventure albums by the young Belgian reporter
and unmissable original drawings by Hergé. Two particularly important works will
be on offer at the auction:
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The third plate for the 1937 edition of Tintin in Congo (estimate 300 000 500 000 € / 330 000 – 550 000 $). In this drawing, Hergé takes pleasure in
improvising a simple, almost child like exoticism. The story, which initially
featured in the pages of the Petit Vingtième in the early 1930s, offers an
insight into a new world. The light and fragile trace of the lines get lost in the
overall context. For the first time, the illustrator thinks about the reader – the
triangular composition oozes suspense. One can see Tintin who appears to
be dreaming and awaiting a fawn like creature. His dog, Milou is asleep and
will comment later on and the evil -looking leopard man who surrounds them
adds tension to the scene.
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An impressive crayoned plate for Coke en stock (estimate 180 000 - 220
000 € / 198 000 – 242 000 $). The drawing follows Captain Haddock’s
outbursts. Tintin remains calm and the artist’s energy is concentrated on the
Captain’s rage, depicted with movement and details which provide a
framework for the page. The Captain gets carried away and his behaviour
mirrors the explosive style of Hergé’s drawing.
Hergé, Coke en stock, lead pencil, for plate number
48 album published in 1958. Estimate : 180 000 –
220 000 € / 198 000 – 242 000 $) ©
Hergé/Moulinsart 2015
THE FRIST EVER AUCTION DEDICATED TO “THE WORLD OF TARDI”
Artcurial will devote an entire section to the world of Tardi, comprising 26 works.
This is the first time that there has been an auction sale dedicated to the artist.
Collectors will be able to acquire a group of important charcoal drawings that
formed part of the exhibition Tardi en banlieue (organised in 1990 at the Escale
gallery); superb illustrations for Voyage au bout de la nuit and Mort à crédit by
Louis-Ferdinand Céline, and canvases from the series, Tardi par la fenêtre.
“Organising this sale event is a great opportunity. Tardi is not only the creator of
Adèle Blanc-Sec and Nestor Burma, but also one of the major authors of the
ninth art. He is someone who, like Hergé, Edgar P. Jacobs and Enki Bilal, has
crossed the boundaries of traditional comic books to offer readers a real artistic
adventure.” explained Eric Leroy, Comic Strip expert at Artcurial.
Tardi began his career drawing for Pilote in 1970. In 1976, the public was
introduced to the first episodes of the adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Adèle et la
Bête and Le Démon de la tour Eiffel. From 1981, in the magazine (À Suivre), he
developed the character of Nestor Burma from the novels of Léo Malet :
Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac (1982), 120, rue de la gare (1988), Casse-pipe à la
Nation (1996).
Passionate about the late Belle Époque and the First World War, 5 (Le Trou
d’obus, 1984 ; C’était la guerre des tranchées, 1993), Tardi also illustrated the
work of Louis-Ferdinand Céline : Voyage au bout de la nuit (1988), Casse-pipe
(1989), Mort à crédit (1991).
In two major exhibitions, Tardi has shown his works on paper (Tardi en banlieue,
Escale gallery, 1990) and his paintings (Tardi par la fenêtre, Christian Desbois
gallery, 1996).
Tardi, Escalier, charcoal on paper
Estimate : 25 000 – 35 000 € / 28 500 – 40 000 $
AUTHORS OF THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES
The final section of the sale will gather album and original works from some of the
biggest French and International artists of the Comic Strip world.
Paul Cuvelier, one of the four legendary illustrators from Tintin (alongside Hergé,
Edgar P. Jacobs and Jacques Laudy), will be represented by three impressive
boards, two for Les Nouvelles aventures de Corentin Feldoë (12 000 – 18 000 € /
13 200 – 19 800 $), one for Le Poignard magique (6 000 – 8 000 € / 6 600 –
8 800 $).
Other highlights include Franquin with Gaston Lagaffe (estimate 70 000 – 90 000
€ / 77 000 – 99 000 $); Hugo Pratt and two great adventures from Corto Maltese,
Les Éthiopiques (estimate 40 000 – 50 000 € / 44 000 – 55 000 $) and Les
Celtiques (estimate 25 000 – 30 000 € / 27 500 – 33 000 $).
Collectors of Americain Comic Strips can admire a rare oil on panel by Carl
Banks, Uncle Scrooge (estimate 22 000 – 25 000 € / 24 200 – 27 500 $) taken
from the famous Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Collectors will also discover works from the modern period with Enki Bilal and the
cover of Vaisseau de pierre (120 000 – 150 000 € / 132 000 – 165 000 $), Froid
Équateur (25 000 – 30 000 € / 27 500 – 33 000 $) and an illustration of
Reptilienne for the cover of the Magazine, Pilote (13 000 – 18 000 € / 14 300 –
19 800 $); Jean Giraud is also featured with several impressive plates from
Blueberry, (estimate 10 000 – 15 000 € / 11 000 – 16 500 $)
Carl Barks, Uncle Scrooge
Oil on Panel
Estimate : 22 000 - 25 000 € / 24 200 – 27 500
$
Enki Bilal, Le Vaisseau de pierre
China ink and gouache.
Estimate 120 000 – 150 000 € / 132 000 – 165 000 $
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Catalogue available online at www.artcurial.com
Estimates in dollars provided as a guide
À propos d’Artcurial – Fondée en 2002, la maison de ventes Artcurial conforte en 2014 sa position de première maison française de vente
aux enchères. Elle couvre l’ensemble du champ des grandes spécialités, des Beaux-Arts aux Arts Décoratifs, Automobiles de collection,
Joailleries, Horlogeries de collection, Vins et Spiritueux…. Avec 2 lieux de ventes (Paris et Monte-Carlo), la maison de vente aux enchères
totalise 192 millions d’euros en volume de ventes en 2014, soit une évolution de son chiffre d’affaires de plus de 50 % en 3 ans.
Résolument tourné vers l’international, Artcurial affirme sa présence à l’étranger avec des bureaux de représentation à Bruxelles, Milan,
Vienne et Munich, une présence à Pékin et Tel Aviv, et des expositions biannuelles à New York. En octobre 2015, Artcurial a organisé sa
première vente à Hong Kong.
Sale Date
Saturday 21 November 2015
11am- 2pm
Viewing Dates:
From Wednesday 18 October 2015
To Friday 20 November 2015
Artcurial in Paris
7, rond-point des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
Contact Press:
Jean Baptiste Duquesne
Press Officer
+ 33 1 42 99 20 76
[email protected]
www.artcurial.com