_20230826.jpg) Exterior of the museum | |
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| Established | 6 October 1989; 36 years ago (1989-10-06)[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Rue des Sables /Zandstraat 20, 1000City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°51′04″N4°21′36″E / 50.85111°N 4.36000°E /50.85111; 4.36000 |
| Type | History ofBelgian comics |
| Visitors | More than 200,000 per year[1] |
| Public transit access | |
| Website | www |
TheBelgian Comic Strip Center (French:Centre belge de la bande dessinée;Dutch:Belgisch Stripcentrum) is a museum in centralBrussels, Belgium, dedicated toBelgian comics. It is located at 20,rue des Sables/Zandstraat, in anArt Nouveau building designed byVictor Horta, and can be accessed fromBrussels-Congress railway station andBrussels-Central railway station.
The building that would later house the Belgian Comic Strip Center was inaugurated in 1906 as theMagasins Waucquez [fr], designed inArt Nouveau style by the architectVictor Horta to serve as a large fabric store for thetextile baron Charles Waucquez. This period, in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, coincided with the beginnings of moderncomic strips.[2]
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After Waucquez's death in 1920, the building began to languish away, and in 1970, the firm closed its doors. The architectJean Delhaye [fr], a former student and aide of Horta, brought the endangered Waucquez building to the attention of the state, and by 16 October 1975, because of its connection to Horta, it was designated ahistoric monument. Still, the building was in bad shape and victim to a lot of vandalism.[3]
In 1980, the architect Jean Breydel and the comics artistsFrançois Schuiten,Bob de Moor, Alain Baran, Guy Dessicy, andHergé, planned to restore the building and give it a new destination as a museum dedicated to the history ofBelgian comics. Originally, the museum would be a homage to Hergé, but he suggested honouring the entire Belgian comics industry.[3][2] In 1983, theMinister of Public Works, Louis Olivier, purchased the building from the owners' heirs on behalf of theBelgian government'sRégie des Bâtiments (English:Buildings Agency), making it national property. In 1984, the Belgian Comic Strip Center (French:Centre belge de la bande dessinée, Dutch:Belgisch Centrum voor het Beeldverhaal) was founded as anon-profit organisation, with Bob De Moor as its first chairman. A fund was established bringing together severalFlemish andWalloon comics artists.[2]
In 1986, the launch of the project was celebrated, despite the building still being in ruins. Intensivelobbying, including a luncheon at theRoyal Palace and a soirée with the Belgian comic strip community, helped secure the project. Restoration work began in 1987, coordinated by the architect Christian Lelubre and executed by Pierre Van Assche, who designed the plans. The restoration included updating the building to modern standards, while respecting Horta's original work. Themosaics were flown over from Italy and constructed by Italian mosaic workers due to the profession being largely obsolete in Belgium.[3][2]
On 6 October 1989, the museum was officially inaugurated in the presence of KingBaudouin and QueenFabiola.[4] Over the following decades, the Belgian Comic Strip Center became a major museum with international appeal, welcoming around 200,000 visitors annually, while government subsidies accounted for less than 10% of its working budget. By 2015, the museum began redecorating its permanent exhibition, continuing its mission as a promotional tool, exhibition venue, research centre, and cultural ambassador for Belgian comics and Art Nouveau architecture.[5]
Since 2009, directly across the street from the Belgian Comic Strip Center, another comics-themed museum opened, theMarc Sleen Museum, dedicated to the work of Belgian comics artistMarc Sleen. On 30 January 2023, it was announced that the museum would close in the autumn, with part of its collection being integrated into the Belgian Comic Strip Center.[6][7][8]
The building was designed in 1905 byVictor Horta inArt Nouveau style and completed in 1906 as a textiledepartment store. It is the only surviving example of a series of Horta's department stores, notable for its use of iron and glass, a centralatrium, and a monumental staircase. The building was protected as a monument in 1975 and renovated in 1988–89 to restore its architectural details while adapting it for public use.[3][9]
The structure is rectangular, with two storeys under a low-pitched roof and two large glassdomes. Thefaçade is symmetrical, slightly concave, and built from natural stone, with verticalpilasters forming curved arches above the main openings. Doors and windows were restored to their original designs, withwrought iron guards on the ground floor and decorative railings above.[9]
The interior is open-plan with two main levels and amezzanine, featuring exposed beams oncast iron columns,vaulted ceilings, and decorative elements such asmarble mosaic floors,stained glass, and a monumental stone staircase with iron railings.[9]
The ground floor of the museum houses a restaurant, a room dedicated to Victor Horta, a comics store named "Slumberland" afterLittle Nemo in Slumberland,[10] a library with a reading room and a study centre. The first floor has anauditorium, a room with original comic book pages by various artists and a room dedicated toanimation, more specifically the Belgian animation industry, such asBelvision.[3]
The second floor has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the chronological history of the medium in Belgium called "The Museum of Imagination".[10] The exhibit starts off withHergé and ends withPeyo, covering the pioneers of Belgian comics between 1929 and 1958 and with special focus on the magazinesSpirou andTintin. Each artist has a room dedicated to his work and designed in a playful way.[3][11]
The final floor is dedicated to themerchandising of comics and available for temporary exhibitions.[3]
Four artists exhibited are Flemish:Willy Vandersteen,Marc Sleen,Bob de Moor andMorris. The rest are Walloon or from Brussels, except forJacques Martin andTibet who were born in France, but published inTintin.
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