Belgian Comic Strip Center

History

The building opened in 1906 as the Magasins Waucquez, a fabric store designed by Victor Horta for textile baron Charles Waucquez. After Waucquez's death in 1920, the structure declined, and the firm closed in 1970. Architect Jean Delhaye, a former student of Horta, alerted the state to the building's significance, and it was designated a historic monument on 16 October 1975. Despite this, the building suffered vandalism and deterioration.

In 1980, architect Jean Breydel and comics artists François Schuiten, Bob de Moor, Alain Baran, Guy Dessicy, and Hergé planned to restore it as a museum of Belgian comics. Hergé originally proposed a museum dedicated to himself but later suggested honoring the entire industry. The Belgian Comic Strip Center was founded as a non-profit in 1984, with Bob de Moor as first chairman. A fund brought together Flemish and Walloon comics artists.

The project launched in 1986 while the building was still in ruins. Restoration began in 1987, coordinated by Christian Lelubre and executed by Pierre Van Assche, who designed the plans. Mosaics were flown from Italy and installed by Italian mosaic workers, as the trade was largely obsolete in Belgium.

Building

Victor Horta created this Art Nouveau building in 1905–1906 as a textile department store, and it remains the sole surviving example of his store designs. Its iron-and-glass construction, central atrium, and grand staircase are key features. The rectangular structure has two storeys beneath a low-pitched roof and two large glass domes. The symmetrical, slightly curved façade is made of natural stone, with vertical pilasters forming curved arches over the main openings. Inside, an open plan spans two main levels plus a mezzanine, with exposed beams on cast iron columns, vaulted ceilings, marble mosaic floors, stained glass, and a monumental stone staircase with iron railings.

Museum

The ground floor contains a restaurant, a room dedicated to Victor Horta, a comics store named Slumberland, and a library with a reading room and study centre. The first floor has an auditorium, a room with original comic book pages, and a room dedicated to Belgian animation, including Belvision. The second floor houses a permanent exhibition called The Museum of Imagination, covering the chronological history of Belgian comics from 1929 to 1958, with focus on the magazines Spirou and Tintin. Each artist has a dedicated room. The final floor is for merchandising and temporary exhibitions.

List of the exhibited comics artists

Four exhibited artists are Flemish: Willy Vandersteen, Marc Sleen, Bob de Moor, and Morris. The rest are Walloon or from Brussels, except Jacques Martin and Tibet, who were born in France but published in Tintin. The list includes Hergé, Jijé, Edgar P. Jacobs, Willy Vandersteen, Marc Sleen, Maurice Tillieux, Bob De Moor, André Franquin, Jacques Martin, Morris, Paul Cuvelier, Victor Hubinon, Tibet, Raymond Macherot, Jean Roba, and Peyo.