French Comics Framed festival & exhibition

The French Comics Association entrusted the Picture This! Agency to organize the inaugural French Comics Framed, a month-long festival devoted to presenting the best work of francophone graphic novelists.

An exhibition in the Fourth Avenue Colonnade of The Cooper Union Foundation Building, of over 50 graphic novel illustrations—presented for the first time in the United States—has taken viewers through the history of Franco-Belgian comics art. As the centerpiece of the festival, the exhibit highlighted architecture in the design Franco-Belgian comics as well as Franco-Belgian comics narrative style. Embarking the viewer on a journey through time and space, from classics such as Valerian to groundbreaking structural innovations by artists such as Fred (Philémon), it has also presented to the new scene of French comics today, with images from cutting-edge artists such as Julie Maroh, David B., and Pénélope Bagieu. 18 exhibited artists travelled to New York to celebrate the show.

The festival also included multiple illustration workshops throughout the city and a permanent booth at the New York Comic Con. Some panel discussions exploring the graphic novel creation process have featured 18 francophone graphic novelists, American artists such as Matt Madden and experts including Heidi McDonald and Alex Dueben. Learn more about this project on the Instagram and Facebook account I created.