tintin comic cover stars at brussels art fair
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

Tintin comic cover stars at Brussels art fair

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Tintin comic cover stars at Brussels art fair

A woman looks at the original artwork
Brussels - AFP

Intrepid boy hero Tintin stars at one of Europe's top art fairs next week when the original cover of his 1942 "Shooting Star" adventures goes on sale for 2.5 million euros.
The yellowing sketch by Belgian creator Herge shows Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy on a barren rocky beach looking in astonishment at a huge mushroom.
In its finished form, brightly coloured, the red-and white capped mushroom looks like a well-known and very dangerous psychedelic fungus.
The drawing has attracted huge interest from fans and collectors alike who are increasingly prepared to pay huge sums for such iconic works.
A rare 1939 Tintin cartoon sold for 539,880 euros in December while in May, a two-page spread depicting Tintin across various adventures was bought for 2.65 million euros in Paris, a world record equal to $3.58 million at then prevailing exchange rates.
It was all very different not so long ago.
"Twenty-five years ago when you went to a comic strip creator like Tardi ... to buy a cover, they would look at you oddly as if to say 'and who on earth is interested in that'," said Alain Huberty, part-owner of the local gallery selling the cartoon at the Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair.
The "Shooting Star" cover -- "L'Etoile Mysterieuse" in the original French -- is just one of five still in the hands of private collectors while the bulk of Herge's work is now held by a family foundation set up after his death in 1983.
- Exceptional price for exceptional piece -
Such cartoons first attracted collectors in the 1980s who would often sell them on to specialist bookshops, eventually drawing in the public and then the auction houses as their creators won recognition as artists in their own right.
Herge was among the first sought out, followed by other major talents in the Franco-Belgian stable such as Franquin, responsible for Spriou and Gaston LaGaffe, Peyo who gave the world The Smurfs and Jacques Martin with Alix.
"The price is determined first by the name and then by the quality," said Huberty.
"An exceptional piece can command an exceptional price, as the Tintin sales show."
At the same time, Huberty cautioned against getting carried away, warning that there could be a "bubble" building in prices for second-rank works but not for the greats such as Herge.
In the United States there is huge interest in cartoon books, elevated to pop art form by the iconic paintings of Roy Lichtenstein and providing the inspiration for a cast of superheroes and villains likely to be on a cinema screen near you right now.
A near-flawless edition of the first book featuring Superman dating from June 1938 fetched $3.2 million in June, according to online auction site e-Bay.
The seller Darren Adams, a collector in Washington state, described it the time as possibly the "best copy in existence", the "Holy Grail" of comic books.
Many in Belgium might dispute that claim and be prepared to back their view with hard cash.
The Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair (www.brafa.be) opens 24 January for a week.

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

tintin comic cover stars at brussels art fair tintin comic cover stars at brussels art fair



GMT 14:07 2016 Tuesday ,15 November

Shooting begins for Emirati

GMT 10:33 2016 Wednesday ,26 October

Ottoman prince visits former

GMT 06:11 2015 Thursday ,22 October

Comedian Chris Rock to host Oscars again

GMT 14:43 2015 Thursday ,24 September

Comic book hero Corto Maltese back to life

GMT 07:51 2015 Tuesday ,22 September

Korean webtoons intrigue Belgian comic artists

GMT 09:51 2015 Thursday ,10 September

Marvel adds Native American, Korean superheroes

GMT 10:14 2019 Monday ,19 August

Love a special date with you

GMT 12:03 2017 Wednesday ,19 July

Saudi tourism chief applauds festive

GMT 18:05 2017 Thursday ,27 April

Damascus blast consistent with Israeli policy

GMT 16:16 2015 Tuesday ,29 September

Kuwaiti folklore delights crowd at Expo Milano 2015

GMT 13:52 2017 Friday ,31 March

UK economy grows 0.7% in final quarter of 2016

GMT 06:11 2017 Thursday ,02 November

Riyadh, Kiev cement relations with Saudi visit

GMT 22:38 2011 Saturday ,23 April

Picnic with pachyderm: enjoy Nepal safari with kids

GMT 08:43 2018 Monday ,08 January

Messi marks new milestone in Barcelona

GMT 13:33 2017 Saturday ,11 November

Buzzing with 1920s Tokyo design and flavour

GMT 19:38 2017 Monday ,02 October

Report: Bahrain's labour market stable

GMT 10:40 2016 Thursday ,15 September

Dwarfs stand tall at Rio Paralympics

GMT 07:21 2017 Friday ,17 March

Chinese president receives Saudi king
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday