Hergé Foundation

Hergé Foundation

The Hergé Foundation is a Belgian cultural institution created to preserve, manage and promote the creative legacy of Georges Remi (known by his pen name). It administers rights, curates archives, supports exhibitions and oversees publications connected to the creator of the The Adventures of Tintin series. The Foundation collaborates with international museums, galleries and cultural bodies to maintain access to original artwork and secondary materials related to the cartoonist’s output.

History

The Foundation was established in the late 20th century in Brussels following the death of Georges Remi to centralize stewardship previously managed by family members and small private entities. Early contacts involved negotiations with institutions such as the Royal Library of Belgium, the Musée Hergé project planners, and collectors from Paris, London and New York City. Over time, the Foundation entered partnerships with major cultural players including the European Commission cultural programs, the UNESCO Memory of the World discussions and the Belgian Royal Palace cultural advisers. Its governance has included figures with experience at the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and national archives across France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Mission and Activities

The Foundation’s mission emphasizes preservation of original plates, watercolours and preparatory sketches, promotion of scholarly research into the author’s oeuvre, and responsible licensing for adaptations. Operational activities range from cataloguing holdings to negotiating exhibition loans with institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. It liaises with rights management bodies including Société des Auteurs networks, European collective management societies, and publishing houses in Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan. The Foundation also engages with cultural festivals such as the Angoulême International Comics Festival, the Comic-Con International events, and biennials in Venice and Rotterdam to expand public access.

Collections and Archives

The Foundation maintains an archive comprising original comic pages, ink drawings, watercolours, notes, correspondence and photographic records. Holdings have been catalogued with reference to provenance records involving private collections in Brussels, provenance deposits from the Hergé family estate, and acquisitions from auctions in London and Geneva. The archive collaborates with conservation laboratories at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and technical specialists from the National Gallery, London and the Smithsonian Institution for paper treatment, pigment analysis and digital preservation. Major items include original boards from landmark albums exhibited alongside loans from the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image and private lenders associated with collectors linked to Tintin au Congo publication history. The Foundation’s archive policies align with standards developed by the International Council on Archives and consult curators from the Louvre and the Stedelijk Museum for exhibition-ready preparations.

Publications and Licensing

The Foundation oversees authoritative editions, critical facsimiles and curated catalogues raisonnés. It works with established publishers in France and Belgium, coordinating editorial projects with scholars from institutions such as the Sorbonne, KU Leuven, University of Liège and the University of Cambridge. Licensing agreements cover museum reproductions, audiovisual adaptations and merchandising negotiated with production companies in Los Angeles, broadcasters in London and streaming platforms in Amsterdam and Berlin. The Foundation also adjudicates translations and scholarly annotations produced by presses in Tokyo, Seoul and Buenos Aires. Its editorial output includes annotated volumes, exhibition catalogues co-published with the Musée Hergé and collaborations with academic journals affiliated with the International Bande Dessinée Society and publishing houses known for graphic literature studies.

Exhibitions and Educational Programs

The Foundation organizes and lends to traveling exhibitions staged at venues such as the Musée d’Orsay, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, the Museum of Illustration and cultural centres in São Paulo, Toronto and Shanghai. Educational initiatives include school programs developed with the Flemish Ministry of Culture, seminars for curators in partnership with the Getty Conservation Institute, and workshops with illustrators linked to the School of Visual Arts and the École supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc. Public programming frequently intersects with festivals—Angoulême International Comics Festival and major comic cons—to host panel discussions featuring historians from the Musée de l’Armée, media scholars from the University of Oxford, and cartoonists associated with the Association of European Comics Artists. The Foundation also supports scholarly fellowships with libraries such as the Royal Library of Belgium and academic grants administered by the European Cultural Foundation.

Category:Cultural organizations in Belgium