Tintin creator, Hergé gets his own museum.

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It was a wet Sunday, I turned south and drove towards Louvain-la-Neuve and the museum, Musee Hergé designed as a focal point for one of the best loved creators of the twentieth century.

It’s a long way. I can’t imagine why the museum is located way out here. What were they thinking I keep thinking, Hergé was born in Brussels not this university town of Louvain-la-Neuve? As the miles slip by I keep asking myself, “Why so far from his birth place? Why?” I was never able to give myself an answer so I gave up.

More than forty minutes later, at 10 in the morning, I was lost on a cross road not standing at the opening door of the museum. A stranger, with a quizzical face like a cute puppy appeared at the window of the van. There are many of these delightful creatures in Belgium! She took pity on me and guided my cantankerous motor home towards an oak-wooded museum site.

Another twenty minutes later, she directed me into a free car park jumped out of her car, wished me the best jumped back in her car did a u-turn and headed back the way she came! Finally I looked up to…

A container ship moored in time and space, a labyrinth contained in the strong clean lines reminiscent of Hergé’s drawing style, Musee Hergé.

Christian de Portzamparc, architect for the project, tells us “Louvain-la-Neuve is built on a straight-edged concrete slab with a car park underneath. It immediately seemed like a good idea to disengage the museum from the town, better to move it away a little towards the woods.”

Musee Hergé has been in the works for a long time, a collaboration of like minds dedicated to creating an exhibition space suitable for a life’s work and where fans may visit and feel just a little of Hergé.
More of a monument than a museum.

Christian de Portzamparc, “I said to myself, from this point on, that the museum was obviously a tribute to Hergé, but also as much a game played with Hergé, or a letter to Hergé.”

Once inside the magic continues, bathed in light streaming through the large bays, I encounter “four landscape objects”, which correspond Joost Swarte’s scenography and the layout.

After I paid my entry fee a jolly gallery attendant handed me a audio-aid and directed me to a lift behind the admissions desk. Another jolly attendant put me in the lift and instructed me to hit play precisely when the lift door closed. Does anyone here have issues with control? Curiosity made me do exactly that. The lift took me to the top floor where I stepped out into the labyrinth and began my journey, steadily descending through eight rooms joined by walkways to the ground floor.

Ready set go, room 1 and the display begins by presenting Hergé’s career in chronological order. The treat in this room is the original plates of stories familiar and loved with the blue lines, the rubbings and marks of a work in progress. The first plate of ‘Tintin in the Land of the Soviets’, the original cover of “Landing on the Moon’ and the wonderfully energetic sketches for ‘Tintin and Alph-Art’.

On to room 2, where we find Hergé the designer and graphic artist working on newspaper column layouts, heading design, lettering and illustration during his time with Father Wallez.

Walking out room 2 I stepped into the light from the dark receptacle of the mind. On a walkway between the two rooms I stood looking through the enormous glass expanse, stunned suspended, silent watching the oak trees shift gently in the breeze, movement on the floor below, ahead a door and gently shifting colours. I’m still not sure of how to describe it to you, was I in a comic book panel or trespassing in the mind of a man or was it a little of both. I don’t know but it was a grand moment in time.

Moving from the walkway into room 3 character development is the focus of this room. The evolution and inspiration of various characters including Snowys’ character from foxie to sidekick is depicted here. Mmmm, I thought to myself that’s not like any fox terrier I’ve ever seen but if Hergé said it’s a foxie I’ll accept it, maybe! Sketches of other favourites are there including Bianca Castafiore, Captain Haddock, and Professor Calculus.

Zoom out to room 4. Ok I raced through this room, I apologise to anyone who is offended, how ever it didn’t have much to keep me there to be honest. The influence of film from King Kong (which inspired the gorilla in The Black Island) to Marx Brothers in the Tintin comics is the focus of this room. The weakest of the displays, it contains a lot of still and moving visuals but the connections drawn between the source material and the final product are thin and feel rushed as does a lot of the exhibition. There is a quote in the catalogue by Hergé regarding the role of the artist as akin to scriptwriter and director rolled into one, but it is still some-what unsatisfying.

Room 5. Blast off! Was Tintin the first man on the moon? Hergé, deeply inquisitive, interviewed many experts on the technical and scientific aspects of his imaginings. By focusing, for example on Destination Moon and artefacts such as the shark submarine and rocket models this room dubbed and decorated as the Calculus’ lab, endeavours to show the relationship between Tintin science and fiction.

Cast off to room 6 and travel as Hergé did by proxy to the lands of the great ancient civilizations that influenced Tintin. I warn you don’t leave without checking out the great 3D display using 3D glasses that are fabulous in them selves’ I love those glasses.

Down into room 7 where we get a glimpse and it is only a glimpse of Hergé’s Studio where he collaborated in later life with many other talented artists. There are model sheets and other bits and pieces of interest but I would have liked to see a production pipeline of the studio operation.

Last but not least room 8. Here speak others of Hergé. There is no shortage of praise for the man down here. The legendary, celebrated and illustrious tell of how they were influenced by Hergé. Here be portraits of some of his fans and the man himself some good some not. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for the Dali llama but the picture of him reading from Tintin in Tibet is naff, naff, naff. Sorry naff!

Exit stage right to the restaurant and the gift shop.

My final 2c. About 80% of Hergé’s original work is available to the gallery. At the time I was there were around 300 items on display including 150 original plates the intention is to rotate these approximately every four months.

One of museums team is Sophie Tchang, daughter of Chang Chong-jen who influenced Hergé and whose fictional counterpart Tintin rescued in ‘Tintin au Tibet’ so it’s a surprise that the influence, and it is an important one, in the artists’ evolution isn’t addressed.

Having said that, I like the museum. It achieves what it sets out to do. It is not a research centre for students doing a Doctorate in Tintin it is a monument to a man and his work. It is early days yet and there will be much tweaking over the months and years but over all I think it works.
Christian de Portzamparc, architect for the project, Fanny and Nick Rodwell, Joost Swarte scenography, and Walter de Toffol, building contractor have over thirteen years worked towards a common purpose and it shows. They have aright to be proud.

The Tintin story is far from over so get ready, buckle up there is more Hergé mania on the way folks with Spielberg’s Tintin movie hitting the screens next year with Daniel Craig and Jamie Bell the man and his work will be big news then again,still.

GETTING THERE FROM AUSTRALIA:

How I did it.

Booked Korean Air, Sydney to Paris. AUD$1777 through
Escape Travel, Broadway, Sydney, Australia.

Europcar AUD388.05 (5 days)

Musée Hergé
Opening hours:
From Tuesday to Sunday: from 10:00 to 18:00
Monday,you know it: closed
Admission
General: 9.50 €, AUD16.50
Families and students: 7.00 € AUD 12.15
Between (7 and 14): 5.00 €; AUD 8.70

Belgian Tourist Office
Comic Strip Year Brussels