Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Angoulême, bd, bill watterson, calvin and hobbes, Comics, entertainment, exhibition

The Bill Watterson Exhibition – In Angoulême, And Around The World

Published Thu, 29 Jan 2015 11:00:50 -0600

The Bill Watterson – The Quest for Calvin and Hobbes exhibition has opened in Angoulême, at the start of the largest comics art festival in the world. Watterson was voted Grand Prix President last and so, while not attending, he did create a new strip for their poster and helped curate the display.

Exhibited are original art and printed examples of Watterson's early work, with Watterson's notes, running through his career. There are also original examples of work that inspired him such as Pogo, Krazy Kat and Flash Gordon.

The exposition is based on the Watterson display held in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, of Ohio State University Columbus Stéphane Beaujean (above), of the artistic programming festival committee has added to the "educational" aspects of the exhibition, to put some of the work into context for those not as conversant with American culture.

And for those who cannot attend, Hors Collection is releasing Bill Watterson – The Quest For Calvin and Hobbes as an exhibition catalogue, out now. And yes, they ship internationally…

For the first time, he presents his earliest drawings, while a student. Then he takes us on a journey through the seasons, which the rhythm strips. Finally, it discusses the common elements in series: the attack of the tiger back from school, Spaceman Spiff, dinosaurs, Sunday pages … Through his characters, for ten years, Bill Watterson maintained an exciting daily conversation with readers about human relationships, art and popular culture, our place in the world, the importance of imagination and play, and the meaning of life. He now resumes where it left off in a long exclusive interview where he reveals as never before. It remains for us to follow Calvin: "It's a magical world, Hobbes, old buddy … Let's explore it!"