This winter, a wave of manga is sweeping through the Guimet Museum!
Whatever your age or generation, come and see your favourite heroes in an exceptional exhibition, spread across all three floors of the museum for the first time.
Admired by several generations of readers, the manga has conquered France and the world, whether aimed at teenagers (shonen for boys, shojo for girls) or adults (seinen, josei, seijin, etc.). But do you know its origins? Through original comic strips and magazines, juxtaposed with objects and graphic works from our collections, the exhibition Manga: An art of its own! lifts the veil on the birth and complex evolution of Japanese comics. From ancient traditions to early Western influences, from satirical press to the first steps of animation, from the creativity of the master mangaka of the 20th and 21st centuries to their influence on fashion and haute couture, the world of manga will hold no more secrets for you!
On the second floor, immerse yourself in 18th- and 19th-century Japan and discover how graphic techniques that would reappear in manga two centuries later were already present in the work of great masters such as Kyosai, Hokusai and Utamaro. A mysterious universe populated by monsters, ghosts and grotesque characters, where dream bubbles and explosive flatulence appear, demonstrating the breadth of Japanese narrative art, ranging from the most hilarious humour to the most edifying stories.
Finally, let yourself be carried away by Hokusai's Great Wave. In a room specially dedicated to this iconic work, an immersive, educational and meditative experience will take you on a journey of discovery of this absolute masterpiece of universal art. Alongside the original print, drawings by comic book artists such as David Etien, Coco and Moebius, as well as a spectacular haute couture dress by Dior, illustrate the influence that this icon of Japanese art continues to exert on artists around the world.
And to prolong your experience, a temporary reading room has been set up in the splendid historic library of the Guimet, where you can read until the museum closes!
Curators: Estelle Bauer, curator of Japanese collections at the Guimet Museum Didier Pasamonik, publisher and journalist
With the support of the Franco-Japanese Sasakawa Foundation