Auction : Martine at the room sales

Twenty-seven original illustrations of the adventures of the heroine designed by Marcel Marlier are going to be offered at auction at Artcurial on 27 April.

Independent, curious, and always smiling, this is Martine, whose adventures, imagined by Gilbert Delahaye, illustrated by Marcel Marlier, published by Casterman, have a dream of generations of girls.

Martine is born in 1954 - a quarter of a century after Tintin, in full era of the "baby boom", and his stories sparkle of the joy of life from a time stamp of optimism and faith in the future. The first volume of the series "Martine in the farm" - is devoted to the discovery of the life in the countryside, in the middle of the animals, plants... This theme of childlike wonder in the face to the beauties of nature will return often, in various forms, in the work of Marcel Marlier. Until 2010, the date of the publication of the last album, "Martine et le prince mystérieux", in which the action is located in the Carnival of Venice, and sixty titles are expected, featuring the heroine of the sea, the fair, the circus, the zoo, the garden, boat, plane, horse, in a hot air balloon...

Batch 5Marcel MarlierMartine and the 4 seasons - Volume 11Gouache on paper to the plank 17 of this album released in 1962 by Casterman.Estimate : 4000 - 6000 €

© Artcurial

The stories are concrete, realistic, modeled on the lives of the children, and the illustrations offer strong colors, bright like candy. As for the scenery, they change over time, reflecting changes in the design, fashion, the environment characteristic of an era. A perfectionist, Marcel Marlier took a lot of sketches on the ground before launching into the development of an album. "Thus, for "Martine petit rat de l'opéra", he went on to attend rehearsals of the Ballet of the Twentieth century, Maurice Béjart," recalls his son, François.

Your support is essential. Subscribe for $ 1 support Us

100 million copies sold

From the beginning, the hype surrounding the series is huge. And it continues over the years, with 65 million copies sold in French, and 35 million in foreign languages. Depending on the country, Martine changes of name, she becomes Tiny, Anita, Maja, Zana, or Debbie...

Batch 24Marcel MarlierMartine boat - Volume 10Gouache and graphite on paper to the plate 18 of this album released in 1961 by Casterman.Estimate : 4000 - 6000 €

© Artcurial

"small chinese girls themselves are excited about his adventures, as evidenced by the two million copies sold in China last year," says François Marlier.

By 2019, Martine is still in the air of the time. To such A point that the filmmaker Philippe Muyl will soon make a film about him.

She is also the poster for the sale of comic books conducted at Artcurial on 27 April. On this occasion, 27 illustrations, from the family of the illustrator, will be presented for the first time to collectors, on estimates of 4000 to 7000 euros. Among these gouaches, "Martine in the boat," based on a tale published in 1961, shows the little girl, with her dog, Patapouf, on the port of New York, surrounded by impressive skyscrapers.

Read our complete file

auctions

Boris Vian, Baudelaire, Karl Lagerfeld: the treasures of the Grand Palace first During the outbreak of coronavirus, the auction can continue For 30 years, Bercy will replenish with an auction

A board that is the result of "Martine and the four seasons, dating back to 1962, depicts a group of children plunged in the contemplation of a Christmas showcase filled with toys and garlands bright.