Naples, MANN has the largest exhibition ever dedicated in Italy to cartoonist Moebius

Through Oct. 4, 2021, the National Archaeological Museum in Naples is hosting the exhibition MOEBIUS - In Search of Time, the largest exhibition held in Italy dedicated to Mœbius (Jean Henri Gaston Giraud; Nogent-sur-Marne, 1938 - Paris, 2012), one of the most influential cartoonists and illustrators of all time, the greatest exponent of French Ninth Art and author of visionary works known and translated worldwide such as Blueberry, Arzach, The Hermetic Garage or L’Incal. The exhibition, scheduled for 2020 and postponed due to the health emergency, celebrates Moebius’ art, but also his special connection with Italy and Naples, the city featured in his comic stories See Naples and Die and Then See Naples: “It’s strange, every time I work on a story about Naples there are no problems: everything runs smoothly. Naples has something that fascinates me, that always touches me in a special way...” (Mœbius, Mourir et Voir Naples, Paris 2000).

The exhibition itinerary takes visitors into Mœbius’ universe through 330 works distributed along the rooms of the MANN dedicated to prehistory. One will thus meet iconic figures such as the warrior Arzak, Major Grubert or the space travelers Stel and Atan. One will get lost in the dizzying images of the carnets of Inside Moebius and the fantastic inventions of La Faune de Mars. There will of course be a section devoted to the links between Moebius and Italy, namely with Venice, Milan and especially Naples. In dialogue with the Magna Graecia section of the Museum, some illustrations dedicated to Greek myths that also inspired the beautiful poster will be on display. A significant space will then be devoted to the more intimate dimension of Moebius’ work, to his research on the “inner desert,” with plates from 40 jour dans le Désert B and to personal experiments on the fantastic forms of crystals and gems that have accompanied the artist’s work (the exhibition will be enriched by precious minerals thanks to the collaboration with Mineral Art Gallery in Naples). An entire section will be devoted to Dante, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the supreme poet’s death, and to the memorable Moebiusian interpretation of Paradise, for the Nuages Gallery. The itinerary will be enriched by two films: an animated 3D directed by Moebius and BUF Compagnie, inspired by the short story La Planète Encore and METAMOEBIUS 52-minute documentary by Damian Pettigrew and Olivier Gal.

An innovative element in the staging project will be augmented reality: along the way, some paintings will come to life; just download an APP and frame the works with a simple smartphone. Kicking off July 10, then, in search of these images along the museum’s evocative halls.

The exhibition is organized by COMICON under the artistic direction of Mœbius Production, is part of the OBVIA (Out Of Boundaries Viral Art Dissemination) project of theUniversity of Naples Federico II for MANN and is sponsored by the Campania Region, the City of Naples and Institut Français.

"After the extraordinary exhibitions by Hugo Pratt, dedicated to Corto Maltese, and Tanino Liberatore, who brought our ancestor Lucy to the Prehistory and Protohistory section," says MANN Director Paolo Giulierini, “MANN and COMICON, as part of the Obvia Project, present another comic book giant to the general public: Mœbius - In Search of Time, The works of the great French artist who loved Naples and archaeology dialogue with our most ancient artifacts, in a unique exhibition awaited by all fans.”

"In 2010, asked by his daughter Nausicaa about the job he would have chosen if he had not been a cartoonist, Moebius answered without hesitation: archaeologist," says Isabelle Giraud, Moebius’ widow. “Choosing archaeology means bringing our history to light. But drawing relentlessly, Mœbius also dug into his own history, to better turn to the future. The blank page was for him like a desert. He dug in the sand of his inner desert to find his way, as when he drew Inside Mœbius or 40 Days in the Desert B. These empty spaces, so frequent in his works, are filled with treasures that he brought out of himself by transcending time. He adopted the methods of an archaeologist, fascinated by the same obsessions, the questioning of time, the continuity of forms, the study of traces... Drawing, writing, was for him a way of reclaiming a human, even interstellar destiny. It was undoubtedly a way to leave a trace that we all hope will withstand the sands of time.”

“The exhibition Mœbius - In Search of Time confirms the well-established collaboration that MANN carries on with COMICON,” comments Claudio Curcio, General Director of COMICON.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 178-page full-color hardback catalog in Italian and French that brings together all the works on display, thanks to the deep research and study work conducted by Mœbius Production and COMICON, with contributions by Isabelle Giraud (Mœbius Production Editorial Director), Claudio Curcio (COMICON General Manager), Jean Michel Folon (Illustrator), Olivier Gal (Portait&Compagnie), and Hervé Le Guyader (Professor of Evolutionary Biology). There is also no shortage of institutional texts from MANN Director Paolo Giulierini, the President of Campania Region and the Mayor of Naples. Plus insights, a letter from Federico Fellini and excerpts from Dante’s Il Paradiso. All accompanied by the extraordinary and ingenious colors and shapes of Mœbius.

For all information you can visit the official MANN website.

Pictured: Moebius, Le Fil d’Ariane. © Moebius Production

Naples, MANN has the largest exhibition ever dedicated in Italy to cartoonist Moebius

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