We invite you, on the occasion of this stimulating debate, to discover a remarkable and unique drawing by the artist: the 1942 cover of the album Tintin in America. A cover with an astonishing longevity, as it is still broadly used today.

Estimated between €2.2m and €3.2m, this exceptional drawing will be previewed at Artcurial in Brussels from January 10 to 14, 2023, before the auction in Paris on February 10, 2023.

Hear more about the significance of comic strips for the contemporary art world in a conversation with Bernard Hislaire, renowned cartoonist who brought comics into the 21st century, Rodolphe Janssen, collector and gallery owner, son of Stephane Janssen (1936 – 2020) who was a great collector and close friend of Hergé, and Eric Leroy, Artcurial’s comics expert who has been involved in this unique market since its inception.

A roundtable moderated by Hubert d’Ursel, from The Fine Art Group.

SPEAKERS:

Eric Leroy joined Artcurial in 2005 and created, under the impulse of François Tajan, the first department dedicated to comics. Under his direction, the department quickly became a world leader in its specialty, increasing from an annual sales volume of €1.3 million in 2005 to almost €10 million in 2021. The department holds numerous records, including the world record for a drawing by Hergé, The Blue Lotus, sold for €3.2 million in 2021 at Artcurial. A respected and pioneering expert, Eric Leroy has successfully promoted comics internationally through numerous exhibitions, including the first exhibition of a comics artist at the Cini Foundation during the Venice Biennale.

Rodolphe Janssen has organized more than 250 exhibitions of contemporary art since he founded his gallery in 1991, with established and emerging artists mainly from Europe and the northern United States.

Over the past thirty years, Rodolphe Janssen has established strong relationships with collectors, contemporary art museums and art centers in Europe, the United States and Asia.

Rodolphe Janssen is a member of the Belgian Chamber of Art Experts and of the selection committee of Art Brussels and Art Cologne.

Bernard Hislaire is a comic book artist and multimedia director. He started his career at the end of the 70’s in the newspaper Spirou with Bidouille and Violette, the first “melancholic” love story of the Franco-Belgian comic book.

At the end of the 90’s, he produces and directs one of the first experimental Web-Feuilleton on the Internet, Mémoires du XXe ciel, and at the same time he co-founds the avant-garde theater Ideal Standard.

Yslaire’s work has been translated into over ten languages, including Korean. It has been awarded some fifteen international prizes and is the subject of numerous international exhibitions. He is an Officer of Arts and Letters and president since 2017, of the Victor-Rossel Academy of Comics.

MODERATROR:

Hubert d’Ursel, Director for the Benelux of the Fine Art Group (London), after having been Managing Director of Sotheby’s Belgium (1994-2012) and member of the Board of Directors of Sotheby’s Europe (1997-2012). He was also Head of Art Advisory at Degroof Petercam (from 2012 to 2021).

Having followed the major collections in the Benelux for 28 years, he has developed a deep knowledge and appreciation of art and its market.

Hubert is a member of the Maecenas Circle of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and an ambassador of the BRAFA. He also sits on the committee of Brussels Art Square (BAS) at the Sablon.

Timing:

• 18:30 > Welcome
• 19:00 – 20:00 > Conference and Q&A
• 20:00 – 21:00 > Networking at TheStables