Paris, France —They are some of the world’s favorite and most endearing comic book characters, Asterix and Obelisk, along with their village of indomitable Gaullish warriors who take on the Roman Empire.  And now some scenes from the famous comic book albums written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo are available in a new limited edition format closer to what is found in American newspapers, the comic strip. The scenes were drawn from the Adventures of Asterix comic book albums and selected from the albums created over a period of 10 years from 1963 to 1973. The comic strips have been brought out in a collection entitled The XII Art Strips of Asterix by Jean-Louis Dauger who is specialized in bringing art to the public. 

This collection brings the original and endearing world of Asterix created by Goscinny and Uderzo into both the world of art and to the public at large. The Asterix Art Strips draw their inspiration from good old American comic strips, a staple of daily newspapers in the United States and which were first introduced in the 19th century. These works use as a point of departure the orignal drawings by Albert Uderzo based on the stories of René Goscinny, which are then enlarged into a square or rectangular format. The result showcases the incredible detail of the drawings. 

Each of the 12 strips has been brought out in a limited edition of 30 and are printed with pigment inkjet and protected against ultra violet rays, a key component when one realizes how fragile drawings are. There are two finishing choices either in Plexiglas on aluminium in an aluminium frame or in Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper, a German house of fine paper making founded in 1584, on aluminium and set in an American wooden box frame. A limited edition (300 copies) boxed gift set of the XII Asterix Art Strips have been brought out as well with the strips printed on the fine art paper accompanied by a 16-page booklet explaining their creation.  All of the Art Strips are accompanied by a certificate of authentication signed by the director and the legal director of the Editions Albert René, the publishing house that publishes the Asterix creations of Goscinny and Uderzo. The Art Strips and gift boxes are available at https://asterixartstrips.com/ and can be shipped all over the world.

The Asterix Art Strips emerge from some of the most iconic works in the series like The Banquet, Magic Potion and Rotomagus. The art strips are currently on display at the Galerie d’Art L’Oeil Bleu, 32 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris, France but only until January 15th but are always on display on the website. https://asterixartstrips.com/

©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette