PARIS.- On 18th November, Artcurial’s Comic books department will auction off a large selection of original works by the greatest authors of the ninth art. The session will be divided into two parts, of nearly 250 lots each.

The first chapter, devoted to the universe of Tintin’s creator, will once again present works of exception by Hergé, never before seen on the market, including a rare drawing of Le sceptre d’Ottocar published on the cover of the journal Le Petit Vingtième in 1939 (estimate: €600,000 – 800,000 € / $660,000 – 880,000).

The second part of the auction will represent the great authors of contemporary and classic comics. Among them, André Franquin, with covers for Spirou et Fantasio, including that for La Mauvaise tête (estimate: €200,000 – 250,000/ $220,000 – 265,000). The works of Tillieux, Morris, Will, Jacques Tardi, Philippe Druillet and Olivier Ledroit will also be included in the whole set.

And for the first time, Artcurial will auction video game drawings. The house has chosen to put forward the works of Viktor Antonov, one of the most well-known and respected artists in the world of the video game.

This much-awaited event will also have a charitable side. Around 70 lots will be auctioned for the benefit of La Bonne Aventure, an endowment fund benefiting victims of autism and their families. This sale will present drawings from the compilation Les Coeurs simples, illustrated by major authors: Enki Bilal, Blutch, Florence Cestac, Dany, Philippe Geluck, André Juillard, Régis Loisel, Loustal, Jean-Claude Mézières and many more.

« Artcurial continues its pioneering work and for the first time, the Comics department is proud to present video games drawings. We will introduce preparatory drawings to two games made by Viktor Antonov : Half Life 2 and Dishonored. These form part of the most critically acclaimed games worldwide. » --Eric Leroy, Comics Expert, Artcurial

Part 1 - L’universe of the creator of Tintin
The first part of the session will be devoted to Tintin’s creator: Georges Remi, known as Hergé. An unpublished work will be offered for auction at the sale, an Indian ink and watercolour drawing of the Sceptre d’Ottokar, designed for the cover of the journal le Petit Vingtième published on 14th Feburary 1939 (estimate: 600 000 - 800 000 € / 660 000 – 880 000 $).

The covers of the Petit Vingtième are part of the most sought after of the Adventures of Tintin. They belong to a very important period: Hergé learned the art of drawing comic strips and developed his style in the pages of this weekly magazine, from 1929 to 1940. The Sceptre d’Ottokar is an innovative adventure, rich in subtleties, both in its graphics and in the action. This Indian ink drawing is enhanced with colours, which is extremely rare. Very few mementos of those years have come our way.

The first two strips of l’Etoile Mystérieuse (estimate: €300,000 – 400,000/ $330,000 – 440,000) will also form part of this sale. In 1941, Hergé worked for the Belgian newspaper Le Soir in Brussels, and at this time, The Adventures of Tintin were published as daily Comic strips. L’Étoile mystérieuse, which follows Le Crabe aux pinces d’or also starts on 20th October of this same year. The version edited in the Casterman album in 1942 was slightly different.

In addition, greeting cards sent by Hergé to his close acquaintances from 1958 to 1983, will be offered for auction as well as games, including Tintin and Milou dominoes, a game edited in 1961 by Les Jeux Noël (estimate: €20,000 – 30,000/ $22,000 – 33,000).

Hergé always had intuition in promotional terms. Ski passes, colouring books, puzzles and games and many products which accompany the adventures of Tintin since the 40’s and which are part of a child’s world. For the game of dominoes, the cartoonist has brought together the characters commonly found at the Château de Moulinsart: Tintin and Milou, Captain Haddock, Professeur Tournesol and his pendulum, the Dupondt et their detective panoply, Nestor and his feather duster.

Part 2 – Comic Strips
The second part of the session will be devoted to classic and contemporary Comic Strips. André Franquin will be represented in two beautiful works: La Mauvaise tête, an album published in 1954 (estimate: €200,000 – 250,000/ $220,000 – 265,000) ; the 1965 Spirou n°98 collection, with Le Marsupilami (estimate : €120,000 – 150,000 / $131,000 – 165,000).

In the middle of the 1960’s, Franquin was a rather overworked artist: between the adventures of Spirou, Fantasio and Gaston Lagaffe, the albums follow one other at an impressive rate. Carried by the success of these characters, the Spirou newspaper enjoyed its most productive period.

Le Marsupilami, came to life in 1952 in Spirou et les héritiers and became one of the most important symbols of Franquin’s creativity: an eccentric animal with haphazard behaviour, in perpetual movement, very often funny but often short tempered.

La Mauvaise tête was one of the most successful and original album covers. The artist shows a lot of audacity in the composition: the image is impressive by its force but also by its light touch; at the same time, surprising and happy.

Video game drawing by Viktor Antonov
For the first time, Artcurial will present comic strips and video games in its sale including two preparatory works of video games by Viktor Antonov, a world reference in this sector.

Of Bulgarian origin, living in France since the age of 17, Viktor Antonov is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design, in California. He is one of the most popular artists in the video games world. Renowned for his ability to create a complex and realistic science fiction universe he was discovered by the public with his artistic direction of the game Half Life 2 in 2005. The town, City 17 which Viktor Antonov imagined and developed for the game remains a model and an inevitable reference for all creators of contemporary video games. This pencil drawing on tracing paper is joined to the digital colour print that includes pastel drawings by the artist (estimate: €5,000 – 10,000/ $5,500– 11 000).

One can recognise Viktor Antonov works thanks to his astounding expertise in direct lighting and related shadows. Throughout his career in the video game industry he stands out in this new media with Life of Crime in 1999, the first game to integrate modelling of an entire new imaginary city. From 2011 to 2016, he oversees the concept and the artistic direction of Dishonored, The Evil Within, Prey or Fallout 4, another game lauded in the international press as a success of exceptional artistic value. Dunwall, second preparatory drawing by the artist offered for sale, was created for Dishonored. It carries an estimate of €5,000 – 10,000/ $5,500– 11 000).