Hergé Museum
Tintin fans the world over will be glad to hear that the Museé Hergé has opened just outside Brussels, in celebration of the life of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. Rosie Khdir takes a look around…
In the picturesque province of Walloon Brabant sits a very contemporary building which is now the setting for swashbuckling adventures and political thrillers that are shrouded in mystery. This is Museé Hergé the new home to the curious reporter Tintin and his faithful sidekick Snowy the terrier.
Over 80 original plates and 800 photographs, documents and objects are now on display, and these include more than just Tintin. Hergé was a graphic designer, caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator and storyteller and this collection of his works is a reflection of his many talents.
Construction of the museum started on 22nd May 2007, to mark the centenary of the artist’s birth and was finished just over two years later. The museum is in Louvain-la-Neuve, a newly created university town 30km outside of Brussels, and the building has been designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc, the winner of the 1994 Pritzker Prize.
Every four months visitors can come and enjoy a new display, as for conservation reasons, the plates cannot be exhibited for long periods of time. There are eight show rooms and a temporary exhibition area, a video projection room, a cafeteria and a shop.
Born George Rémi, Hergé had his first taste of success with Tintin, who debuted in Le Petit Vingtième in 1929. From then until now, Hergé has sold 230 million comic books in over 80 languages and his success continues over 80 years later, as Steven Spielberg plans to direct a 3-D Tintin film to be released in late 2011.
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Image credit: © Nicolas Borel. Atelier de Portzamparc 2009
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