Tintin goes to London

Showing the simplicity of early newspaper strips to the graphic work of the later books, the exhibition at Somerset House reveals also Hergé’s fascination with architecture and design.

“TINTIN: Hergé’s Masterpiece”, view of the exhibition at Somerset House, London ©Hergé-Moulinsart 2015/Somerset House

Stepping inside the wonderfully eccentric world of artist-author Hergé and Tintin, his intrepid young reporter, “TINTIN: Hergé’s Masterpiece” – on view at Somerset House – explores the evolution of the artwork of Hergé, from the simplicity of early newspaper strips to the genre-defining graphic work of the later books.

Drawing on the archives of the Hergé Museum in Belgium, the exhibition features pencil sketches, character drawings, and watercolours alongside original artwork from the finished stories.

The exhibition also reveals more about the man behind the masterpiece. Hergé had an enduring fascination with architecture and design. With his skill as an illustrator and a draughtsman’s eye for design, the settings in which the stories were played out were always rendered in meticulous detail.

Models/installations of memorable locations such as Tintin’s apartment are displayed and the exhibition is themed with reference to one of Hergé’s favourite backdrops – Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock’s country house once owned by his maritime ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock. With a similar neoclassical splendour and nautical history as the former home of the Navy Board and office of Lord Nelson, Somerset House makes a compelling site from which to share Hergé’s own story.