Philippe XAVIER Rétrospective

From 7 to 23 April 2022, Huberty & Breyne is delighted to be hosting Philippe Xavier?s Large illustrations and retrospective exhibition in the Espace rencontres at its Brussels gallery.

Certain artists succeed in drawing in a realistic manner but with a genuine sense of freedom and adventure. One thinks of William Vance and Hermann, for example. And of Philippe Xavier, who has been cultivating this particular talent over the course of some twenty or so remarkable albums.

The six large illustrations he has produced specially for this exhibition demonstrate the artist?s technical mastery and original style, while simultaneously paying tribute to his sources.

Viewers who are paying attention will pick up the references to Vance in Xavier?s depictions of XIII and Major Jones. And they will be blown away by the framing and careful composition of images, particularly apparent in the vast panoramas of Xavier?s current best-selling series, Tango.

In addition to these six new works, the exhibition includes plates and covers from the artist?s most beautiful series: Paradis Perdu (with Ange and Alberto Varanda), Croisade and Conquistador (with Jean Dufaux) and Hyver 1709 (with Nathalie Sergeef).

Also part of the retrospective are a series of illustrations retracing the last twenty years of Xavier?s career, some of them inspired by visual universes as distinctive as that of Games of Thrones. While Philippe Xavier is extremely talented at drawing people and capturing their internal conflicts, his renderings of landscape and atmosphere are equally magnificent. From scorched desert expanses to the torpor of the jungle and the harsh winters of the high Andean plateaus, he takes his viewers on a journey into infinitely unfolding landscapes that delight the eye and enchant the soul. The sheer energy with which his drawings are imbued makes Philippe Xavier a key reference point in the world of contemporary comic art.

Private view: Thursday 7 april from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm, with the artist.