PARIS.- On the 4th and 5th May, Artcurial’s Comic Book Department will host an auction featuring a large selection of original artwork from the greatest names of the 9th Art. On the 4th, the auction will be devoted to the dispersion of 140 lots relating to the universe created by the author of Tintin, while the Comic Book auction will be held on 5th May, presenting 280 lots.

Amongst the most important lots of 4th May, a sculpture from Belgian artist Nat Neujean : Tintin et Milou (estimate : €150,000 – 200,000 / $185,000 – 245,000).

On 5th May, an extremely rare Osamu Tezuka strip for the Astro Boy series will be offered (estimate : € 40,000 – 60,000 / $49,000 – 74,000. The original Indian ink and aquarelle strip was published in 1956-1957 in Shônen magazine.

A particularly illustrative artist from post-war Japan, Osamu Tezuka held considerable influence on the Manga universe of which he was one of the very first representatives.

« For the first time, an Astro Boy strip will be auctioned. It is an absolute delight to represent such an exceptional piece. Following the records held by European comics, it is time for Manga’s, an indissociable part of Japanese culture, to shine.» --Eric Leroy, Expert Comic Books, Artcurial

Part 1 – The universe of Tintin’s creator
The first part of the auction will be devoted to Hergé and his creation, Tintin.

A delightful bronze sculpture by Nat Neujean, created in 1976 in 3 copies EA will be offered at auction (estimate €150,000-200,000/$ 185,000- 245,000 ).

We will catch up with Tintin and Snowy with a 1946 Hergé illustration for the Tintin publication (estimate : €20,000 – 30,000/ $25,000 – 35,000) representing both heros submerged with fan mail. The weekly edition had just seen the light of day (26 Septembre 1946) and was already a success.

Enthusiasts will also discover a wondertful selection of black and white albums : Tintin au pays de Soviets (€7,000-9,000 / €9,000 – 11,000) ; Le Lotus bleu (€4,000 – €6,000 / $5,000 -7,500 ) ; L’Oreille cassée (€8,000 – 10,000 / $10,000 -12,500) ; along with rare copies from the collection of the editor of the Aventures de Tintin, Louis Casterman.

Part II – Comics
The second part of the auction will be devotes to classic and contemporary comics.

For the first time ever, an original strip from Osamu Tezuka, the most celebrated manga artist, will be put up for auction.

It represents an Indian ink and aquarelle strip of Astro Boy published in 1956-1957 in Shônen magazine (estimate : €40,000 – 60,000 / $50,000 – 70,000). An exceptional cartoon strip by an artist whose fame largely crossed Japan’s borders.

Both artist and writer, Tezuka re-wrote the rulebook. At the beginning of the 1950’s, he creates two series that will mark his work: Leo, king of the jungle (Janguru Taitei), in 1950, then Ambassador Atomu (Atomu Taishi) in 1951, which will become Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu) in 1952. This work is largely removed from the Baby-Boom "Pop Culture": Tezuka ponders on civilisation and the exponential modernisation of Japan, on the influence of technological progress that is not systematically constructive, on its excesses and contradictions. For him, Manga is eternally a human adventure.

Albert Uderzo and Astérix are represented by a remarkable strip from de La Galère d’Obélix (estimate: €100,000-130,000 / $120,000 – 160,000) where we find Asterix and Obélix arguing about Roman peace.

Science-fiction enthusiasts will be pleased to discover Moebius with an emblematic passage from Garage hermétique (€15,000 – 20,000 / $18,500 – 25,000) ; Philippe Druillet with Métissages (€15,000-18,000 /$18,500 -22,000) ; Jean-Claude Mézières with Valérian (€9,000- 10,000/ $11,000 – 12,300 ; Olivier Ledroit, one of contemporary comics most appreciated authors, with a wonderful illustration from Xoco (estimate: €20,000 – 30,000/ $25,000 – 37,000).

Also to be noted is Hugo Pratt with an impressive board from Corto Maltese en Sibérie (€40,000-50,000/ $50,000 – 70,000) and two aquarelles for Et in Helvetia Corto… (€20,000 – 30,000 / $25,000 – 35,000), Jean Giraud, Blueberry with Nez Cassé (€ 20,000 – 22,000 -25,000-27,000); Morris with Lucky Luke (€12,000-15,000) and Jean Roba with a rare and funny strip from Boule et Bill (€20,000 – 30,000/$25,000 – 37,000).

A tribute will be made to Jidéhem with a selection of original drawings. A cartoonist for Spirou, he was entrusted with the automobile section « Starter » prior to creating his own series, Sophie. He was also Franquin’s colleague until the end of the 1960’s : together, they created several Spirou et Fantasio adventures and many of the Gaston Lagaffe comedy premise.

The great Italian illustrations Gaetano Liberatore, creator of RanXerox will also be featured in the auction will several magnificent colour illustrations: Bon anniversaire Lubna (€10,000-12,000 / $12,000- 15,000); RanXerox à New York (€10,000-12,000 / $12,000- 15,000) and a superbe cover for Batman - L’Avocat du diable (€8,000 – 10,000 / US$) 10,000 – 12,000

A small selection of art sold to raise funds for La Bonne Aventure, presided by Albert Algoud, will also be put up for auction.