Michel Plessix & Michel Durand Exhibition

Following the success of the auction dedicated to Michel Plessix (1959–2017) held in November, the artist is now the focus of an exhibition showcasing his most famous artwork, his magnificent comic art adaptation of The Wind in the Willows and The Wind in the Dunes, based on the novels by Kenneth Grahame. A rare collection of around forty originals—pages, covers, and original artworks —from various albums in the series will be on display. The event pays tribute both to his exceptional talent as an animal comic artist and to his genius with watercolors, which was deeply admired by his peers. His extremely detailed pencil and Indian ink pages on paper will be accompanied by their original watercolor colorings, allowing visitors to admire the artist's technical mastery and the full extent of his talent. Visitors will also be able to appreciate the range of emotions of his characters, their attitudes, his careful compositions, and the fluidity of his lines and narration, for it is where the poetry of Michel Plessix's artwork lies, with almost unparallel virtuosity.

With Les Travailleurs de la mer, Michel Durand has created a prodigious comic art adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1866 novel, rendered entirely in hatching. Over nearly 150 pages, Michel Durand draws with pen and Indian ink, drawing inspiration from the techniques of 19th-century engravers such as Gustave Doré. His artworks, made up of a meticulous accumulation of lines, skillfully play on empty spaces, solid areas, and thicknesses to reveal light and depth without ever tracing the contours. This technique is rarely used in comic art because it is so demanding, but Michel Durand deploys it with virtuosity throughout the album. The artist thus manages to capture the essence of the story by magnifying each setting in extremely detailed single and double pages. This delicate feast of fine craftsmanship took the artist at the peak of his art almost five years to complete. Discover the splendor of the album's original pages, displayed in this exhibition for the first time.