Herge (Pompidou Exhibition Book)

by Fanny Rodwell

An exceptional work to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Herge. "Tintin is certainly born of my unconscious desire to be perfect, to be a hero." -Herge. Herge was one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, as almost everyone knows. But most people overlook the fact that he was equally talented with words. Dominique Maricq takes us in the footsteps of this very important artist, with extracts chosen from Herge's correspondence and interviews. There are rare pearls, pieces of an anthology, amusing notes or scathing letters, where the creator of Tintin and Snowy reveals his true self. Georges Remi became Herge early on, but it took Herge much longer to return to simply being Georges. Over the course of many pages, we see both of them -- neither angel, nor beast, nor devil -- through a rich range of reflections, concepts, thoughts and matters, with light humor and good taste, tenderness and gravity, self-assurance and doubt, love and friendship. An original portrait of an artist about whom we still have a lot to learn. Thick, square, lavishly filled with art (color and b&w). Text in French. Hardcover.

1056 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2006

Reviews

[Natacha Cunha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is impossible to not fall in love by this book since the beginning. With a peculiar format, it catches our eyes and makes us travel (chronologically) in Hergé's art. Along 1024 pages, this catalogue recounts in images the evolution of Hergé's artistry, from 'The exploits of Quick and Flupke', to the popular 'Adventures of Tintin', ads and others illustrations.
I think that the most interesting thing about this book is that it shows the evolution of his illustrations and not only the final art. We see exhaustively his seek for perfection, the realism that he imprints in his wonderful work. The all book is accompanied by quotations from Hergé, so we see us emerged in his thoughts and we better understand this absolutely amazing artist.