(Brussels) Tintin, world star of comics and of the art market. An original drawing by Hergé made in 1942 for the cover of Tintin in America is auctioned next month in Paris and could break a new record in this sector.
The design, which shows a tall Native American chief in traditional garb pointing an accusing finger at the bound Tintin, brandishing an ax in the other hand, is world famous.
For 80 years, it has adorned the cover of the third volume of the adventures of the young Belgian reporter with a puff (who goes to America after his trips to the Soviets and to the Congo), one of the best-selling albums in the series.
The original soon to be sold by Artcurial – which is exhibiting it until Saturday evening in its Brussels premises – dates from 1942.
At that time, Tintin in America is already ten years old but has only been published in black and white.
This Indian ink drawing is the one chosen for the first color edition of the album, which was released in 1946.
Sold by an unidentified Belgian collector, it is now estimated “between 2.2 and 3.2 million euros” (3.2 to 4.6 million Canadian dollars), according to Artcurial, a French firm which claims the leading position in comic book auctions.
In January 2021, she had recorded a world record with the illustration project by Hergé (Indian ink, gouache and watercolor) of the original cover of the blue lotus. The 1936 drawing was sold for 3.2 million euros including fees ($4.6 million).
In 2016, a board ofWe walked on the moon left for 1.55 million euros ($2.25 million).
Clean styling
“We are talking about drawings that belong to the history of art,” argues Vinciane de Traux, director of Artcurial for Benelux. “Hergé is with Magritte the most important figure in Belgian art”.
This time, the centerpiece of the sale scheduled for February 10 in Paris is “larger in size, more impressive in its composition”.
It is also, according to this specialist, a perfect example of the refined style of Hergé, Georges Rémi of his real name (1907-1983); the “clear line” popularized by a handful of Belgian designers of the same generation.
The drawing has already been shown in exhibitions, in Paris in 2009 and in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 2010. It is “fully documented, authenticated”, continues the director of Artcurial.
Two years ago, the auction of the blue lotus had angered Nick Rodwell, the British businessman who watches very closely over the inheritance of Hergé. He is the second husband of Fanny Vlamynck, widow and universal legatee of the designer.
The famous drawing of the black dragon on a red background was sold by members of the Casterman family, who assured that their father Jean-Paul had received it as a “gift” from Hergé himself during a family meal in the years 1930.
The future director of the eponymous publishing house was then 7 years old. He would have kept the sheet of paper folded in six in a drawer for decades.
A version disputed by Mr. Rodwell, who had criticized the Castermans for not having returned the drawing.
But relations eventually died down. Ultimately, says M.me de Traux, “Hergé’s heirs were delighted with the result of the sale. Everyone is happy that the market is supporting Tintin’s rating”.