The Hergé Museum – Brussels, Belgium
A spectacular new museum dedicated to Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi, who created the comic-book hero Tintin, opened in the Belgian town of Louvain-la-Neuve on June 2nd. It was designed by Christian de Portzamparc architects, a Pritzker-Prize-winner, and boasts a modern ode to the vibrant works of Remi.
The museum is located at the edge of the Source woods, with a viewing platform overlooking the town. The Hergé runs around a central atrium formed of curving walls in bold colours, pierced by high metal walkways. An internal lift shaft at the core of the atrium is painted with a chequerboard pattern, evoking the moon rocket in one of Tintin’s bestselling adventures. The structure stands on stilts in a park and visitors enter across a long wooden footbridge.
Amidst the museum’s architectural victories, the museum has another ambition: to cement the claim that Hergé, who died in 1983, was an important artist in his own right, whose talents as a graphic designer, painter and typographer were somewhat eclipsed by the runaway success of ‘The Adventures of Tintin.’
More images of Remi’s work and the museum are available after the jump.
