Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée

Geschiedenis

The Belgian Comic Strip Center is a museum in Brussels, located in the Rue des Sables /Zandstraat 20, dedicated to Belgian comics.History of the buildingThe building was designed in 1905 by world-famous architect Victor Horta in Art Nouveau style and served as textile department store, the Magasins Waucquez. After Waucquez's death in 1920, the building began to languish away and in 1970 the firm closed its doors. Jean Delhaye, a former aid of Horta, saved the building from demolition and by October 16, 1975 it was acknowledged as a protected monument. Still, the building was in bad shape and victim of a lot of vandalism.In 1980 architect Jean Breydel and comics artists François Schuiten, Bob de Moor, Alain Baran, Guy Dessicy and Hergé planned to restore the building and give it a new destination as a museum dedicated to the history of Belgian comics. Originally the museum would be a homage to Hergé, but he himself suggested honoring the entire Belgian comics industry. In 1983 Belgian Minister of Public Works Louis Olivier decided that the building would be bought by the Direction of Buildings, making it national property. In 1984 a fund was founded which united several Flemish and Walloon comics artists. Two years later the restorations began, with respect for the original architecture while updating it to modern standards. The mosaic was flown over from Italy and constructed by Italian mosaic workers, because the profession had become obsolete in Belgium.