Delve into the mythos of Tintin, one of the world’s best-loved comic book characters turned to film, at Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece, an exhibition that examines both the life of Belgian artist-author Hergé and the iconic character he created.

This winter, visitors to the UK can step inside the wonderfully eccentric world of artist-author Hergé and Tintin, the intrepid young reporter that he created, at an exhibition, titled Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece, that runs at Somerset House, London.

The exhibition explores the evolution of the artwork of Hergé, from the simplicity of early newspaper strips to the genre-defining graphic work of the later books. Drawing on the archives of the Hergé Museum in Belgium, Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece features pencil sketches, character drawings and watercolours alongside original artwork from the finished stories.

The exhibition also reveals more about the man behind the masterpiece. Hergé was a consummate lover of the arts and he merged methods employed by painters, film directors and photographers into his own work, but he had an especially enduring fascination with architecture and design.

The exhibition explores the evolution of the artwork of Hergé, from the simplicity of early newspaper strips to the genre-defining graphic work of the later books

With his skill as an illustrator and a draughtsman’s eye for design, the settings in which the stories were played out were always rendered in meticulous detail. The device of windows, ‘frames within frames’, was particularly important to Hergé.

Windows were drawn into many of Tintin’s adventures and they took many forms in his stories, from sash windows to portholes, camera viewfinders to binoculars.

The windows never appeared on the page by chance, just like the characters whose roles help to further the plot of the storyline. Each window was an opening over the world, through which Hergé would often send his star character on journeys and discoveries.

For instance, Tintin first met the cantankerous Captain Haddock by going through a porthole. Many of the exhibited works feature windows, highlighting how a seemingly insignificant architectural decoration is integral to the action of Tintin.

Models of memorable locations such as Tintin’s apartment are being displayed and the exhibition is designed in reference to one of Hergé’s favourite backdrops – Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock’s country house that was once owned by his maritime ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock.

With a similar neoclassical splendour and nautical history as the former home of the Navy Board and office of Lord Nelson, Somerset House offers a compelling site from which to share Hergé’s own story.

Hergé merged methods employed by painters, film directors and photographers into his own work

Since he first appeared in Hergé’s weekly cartoon strip in Le Petit Vingtième in Brussels in 1929, Tintin has become one of the most iconic comic-strip heroes along with a supporting cast of his trusty dog Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and Thomson and Thompson. With more than 200 million copies of the famous 24 albums sold worldwide (which also inspired a Hollywood blockbuster) Hergé’s timeless character continues to attract new generations of fans to his stories for their unique mixture of artistry, history and adventure.

Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece runs until January 31 at Somerset House, London, and is accompanied by a publication. Entrance is free.

Information courtesy of Somerset House.

www.somersethouse.org.uk

Tintin and the Digital Age, a panel discussion, Tuesday at 7pm

Despite being nearly 90 years old, Hergé’s masterpiece Tintin is thriving in the digital age. A panel that includes ‘Tintinologist’ Michael Farr, together with Yves Févvier, Simon Doyle and Paul Gravett, debate why Tintin’s legacy has such power to endure and influence the current generation of graphic artists and is still so beloved by families who have grown up in an age where the computer is king.

A Call for Snowy, today at 11.30am

Celebrating Tintin’s birthday, this event searches for the double of the boy reporter’s lively companion, Snowy, the white wire-haired fox terrier. A number of dog owners are invited to be part of a Snowy ‘lookalike’ day, where polite pooches can be snapped in the doggie photo booth. Visitors and judges will be looking for the canine champ that best captures the spirit of Snowy in all his feisty glory, with ‘Snowys’ of all shapes and sizes being shown.

Spotlight Tours, every Wednesday until January 27 at 12.30pm

Visitors can discover more about Hergé during these lunch time talks focusing on aspects of the artist’s style and narrative flair. A member of the Learning Team discusses the shaping of Hergé’s career at Parisian newspaper Le Petit Vingtieme; the attention to detail in his research; and the stories behind the Tintin family. Places are made available 30 minutes before the start of the tour.

About the book

Being published to coincide with the exhibition, this is the definitive monograph on the art of Tintin. Since he first appeared in Hergé’s weekly cartoon strip in Le Petit Vingtième in Brussels in 1929, Tintin has become one of the most celebrated characters in the comic world.

Like the exhibition, the book draws on the archives of the Hergé Museum and looks at the evolution of Hergé’s artwork, from the simplicity of the early news-paper strips to the sophisticated graphic work of the later books.

An avid art collector, Hergé was inspired by Old Masters, but was also infatuated with graphic design and modern art, from the Constructivist work he studied in his youth to the Lichtensteins and Mirós he would travel to see in his maturity.

Written by the Belgian art critic Pierre Sterckx and translated by the British expert on Tintin, Michael Farr, it includes rarely-seen pencil sketches, character drawings and watercolours alongside original artwork from the finished stories. The book illuminates Tintin’s progress from whimsical caricature to profound icon and reveals Hergé’s parallel development from cartoonist to artist.

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