Jean-Claude SERVAIS Rétrospective

To mark the publication of his new album, Le Loup m'a dit, the Huberty & Breyne Gallery is hosting a major retrospective devoted to the work of Jean-Claude Servais - a comics author whose celebrated career spans more than 45 years, from Spirou magazine to the pages of À Suivre..., from the delightful ink drawings published by Casterman to the cartoon panels - more delicately executed in pencil - Servais produced for Dupuis' prestigious Aire Libre collection.

Nature has always been central to Jean-Claude Servais' work, but what has particularly resonated with generations of readers is the humanity of his characters and his ability to communicate powerful and authentic feelings.

In the spirit of this retrospective, the Huberty & Breyne Gallery is showing the very first drawings published by the author in 1975, in the Carte blanche section of Spirou magazine. The subsequent stages in a memorable career are mapped out thanks to a selection of panels from all of Jean-Claude Servais' major albums: La Tchalette, Isabelle, L'Almanach, the unforgettable Tendre Violette, Lova, La Petite Reine, Déesse blanche and Déesse noire, in addition to the many moving stories in La Mémoire des arbres.

The 2000s mark a turning point, with Servais abandoning ink and working from now on exclusively in pencil. The large panels he produced for Le Jardin des glaces, Orval, Godefroid de Bouillon, Le Dernier Brame, Les Chemins de Compostelle, Le Chalet bleu and Le Fils de l'ours demonstrate how completely at home he feels with this new technique, whilst his love of nature - of animals and the precious forests of his native region - is evident throughout, continuing to find expression in the final panels of Le Loup m'a dit.

This retrospective includes some hundred panels, in addition to original covers and large-format illustrations, focusing attention on the most striking pieces by a comics author whose work has consistently gained in depth with the passage of time.

Private view: Thursday 29 October 2020.
Works available to view online from Friday 30 October 2020.