Description

François Walthéry ex-libris B/W ‘HC’ double signature

Exclusif and unique large ex-libris HC (Hors Concours) in Black/White

Handsigned by the artist on both obverse and reverse

Based on the multi editions ‘Les Voitures de François Walthéry’

On sale : B/W ex-libris

Size : 40 x 30 cm signed on front and back – HC on reverse side

‘Rubine et hommage à inspecteur Colombo et sa Peugeot 403 decapotable’ – Rubine and tribute to inspector Columbo and his Peugeot 403’

Inspecteur (inspector) Columbo was a long-running television series Columbo (1968–2003), starring Peter Michael Falk (1927 – 2011 an American film and television actor) for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards (1972, 1975, 1976, 1990) and a Golden Globe Award in 1973.

As an extra I am adding a copy of the original drawing by Walthéry AND the colored version by ‘Love on Wheels’ – both pieces are not part of this sale !

Info on François Walthéry :

François Walthéry (born 17 January 1946 in Argenteau near Liège) is a Belgian comics artist, best known for his series featuring an adventurous flight attendant, Natacha.

The Belgian comic artist François Walthéry was one of the most prominent contributors to Spirou magazine in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He first made his mark as a loyal assistant and pupil of Peyo (Smurfs), for whom he drew episodes of ‘Jacky et Célestin’ and ‘Benoît Brisefer’. He is however best-known as co-creator of the sexy air hostess ‘Natacha’ (1970-   ), one of the first heroines in the popular children’s magazine of Éditions Dupuis. His other work either showcase the artist’s talent for drawing sensual female characters, or his nostalgic side and roots in the Liège region.

As Walthéry is notorious for being a slow worker, he has mostly worked with background artists and other contributing artists on his later-day projects. He was present at Lombard with the series about ‘Rubine’ (1993-2011), a sexy female cop based in Chicago. The comic was written by Mythic and drawn by Dragan de Lazare and later Boyan under supervision of Walthéry. Walthéry, a master in drawing beautiful women, further showcased his talent in the erotic comic ‘Betty Strip’ (Noir Dessin, 1992) and in ‘Une Femme dans la Peau’, an adult comic published by P&T Production in 1994.

He worked with comic artist/illustrator Jaap de Boer on two fairy tale books for Éditions Deirdre (‘Contes de Fees’, 2009). He was also one of the illustrators of erotic fairy tale comics for BD Fly. These included Bruno Di Sano’s ‘Sortilège’ (BD Fly, 2011), two collections starring an erotic rendition of Little Red Riding Hood, and ‘Alianah’ (2015), an original tale about witches by Guy D’Artet. GPRod even launched an imprint called BarDaf, named after Natacha’s airline company, which consists of books with sexy ladies in the Walthéry tradition, such as ‘Sexyscope’ (2016). Besides work by Walthéry himself, the books also contain work by Bruno Di Sano, Bruno Gilson, Jean-Marc Stalner and Péral.

Walthéry was one of the contributing artists to the book ‘Il était une fois… Les Belges’/’Er waren eens… Belgen’ (1980), a collection of columns and comic pages published at the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Belgium. He was one of several artists to make a graphic contribution to ‘Pepperland’ (1980), a collective comic book tribute to the store Pepperland, to celebrate its 10th anniversary at the time. He was one of several artists to make a graphic contribution to ‘Baston Labaffe no. 5: La Ballade des Baffes’ (Goupil, 1983), an official collective parody comic of  André Franquin’s ‘Gaston Lagaffe’. He paid tribute to Nikita Mandryka in the collective comic book ‘Tronches de Concombre’ (Dupuis, 1995).  Walthéry also contributed to tribute albums to Derib’s ‘Buddy Longway’ (1983), Albert Uderzo’s ‘Astérix’ (2007) and Will (‘L’Arbre des deux printemps’, 2000).In 2005 he was one of several Belgian en Dutch comic artists to make a graphic contribution to the crossover comic book ‘Bij Fanny op Schoot’ (2005), in which Fanny Kiekeboe from Merho’s ‘De Kiekeboes’ interviews various characters from other comic series, drawn by the original artists. Walthéry was the only Walloon who participated. In the book Natacha is interviewed by Fanny, but they run into subtitling troubles. In 2005 Walthéry made a graphic contribution to ‘Suske en Wiske 60 Jaar!’ (2005), which paid homage to Willy Vandersteen’s ‘Suske en Wiske’. In 2012 he was one of many celebrities and artists to make a graphic contribution to ‘Marc Sleen 90. Liber Amicorum’ (2012), a book which celebrated comics legend Marc Sleen’s 90th birthday.

In 1999 both P’tit bout d’Chique and Natacha received a mural painting in the Rue de l’Arsenal as part of the Comic Book Route in Angoulême, France. On 29 May 2003 a monument was erected in Walthéry’s birth town Cheratte, depicting statues of ‘Le Vieux Bleu’ and ‘Le P’tit Bout d’Chique’. In October 2009 ‘Natacha’ received her own comic book wall in the Rue Jan Bollen/Jan Bollenstraat 23, as part of the Brussels’ Comic Book Route. Since 2012 Natacha also has a statue, sculpted by Monique Mol, erected at the Comics Route in Middelkerke. François Walthéry has been an influence on Robert van der Kroft, Bruno Di Sano, Bruno Gazzotti, Hanco Kolk, Jimmy Hostens, Stephane Ficher and Dragan de Lazare.