Art Spiegelman and the Awakening of the Ninth Art: When the Centre Pompidou Celebrates the Underground Heritage of Comics

The Centre Pompidou has opened its doors to the ninth art in an unusual way and is highlighting the essential figures of comics throughout history. Art Spiegelman is one of them.

Art Spiegelman, the illustrious author of the graphic novel Maus, is also an emblematic figure of American underground comics. In an interview highlighted by the Centre Pompidou, he traces his beginnings in the 1960s and explains the major influence of the underground on mainstream comics.

The call of adventure and the liberation of expression

Spiegelman attributes his immersion in underground comics to a "call to adventure." It was an era marked by the emergence of innovative technologies that liberated minds and bodies: the birth control pill and LSD. The printing press, with its low-cost mass reproduction, was replacing the imposing presses of the big newspapers.

But it was the freedom of expression that appealed to Spiegelman. Traditional comics, under the censorship of the 1950s, had become formulaic and serious. Works had been destroyed and Senate hearings had been held to denounce the dangers of comics in the United States.

Comics on every floor

A first formative experience

Taking comic strip classes at his art high school, Spiegelman was given an assignment to create three days of comic strips for a daily newspaper. A former student, now editor-in-chief of a news agency, noticed him and offered him a job as a columnist.

While this offer represented the highest-paid and most prestigious version of the comic book author profession, Spiegelman, barely 17 years old, quickly felt the stifling routine. He longed to discover his own style and explore new horizons.

The emergence of underground comics

It was precisely at this time that underground comics were born, in reaction to the censorship of the 1950s. Like a kiss to Snow White, underground comics reawakened comics after their long sleep imposed by the repressive "Comics Code".

A new generation of authors, of which Spiegelman is one, yearns for a space of freedom of expression. They create their own community, freeing themselves from traditional editorial constraints. This freedom allows for the experimentation of new graphic styles and the exploration of taboo themes: sex, drugs, radical politics, personal expression and autobiography.

The influence of Harvey Kurtzman

Spiegelman cites Harvey Kurtzman, an American comic book writer and publisher, as the "grandfather" of underground comics. His magazine Mad, a veritable bible for writers of his generation, revolutionized the genre by breaking the fourth wall and introducing parodic and satirical humor.

Kurtzman, with a deep ethical approach, was not content with creating entertaining works. He wanted to convey meaningful messages and had established strict rules for the creation of a comic strip. It was this approach that led Spiegelman to take an interest in the grammar of comics and to explore its potential.

The legacy of the underground

Underground comics have played a crucial role in the evolution of comics in general. They have freed the genre from the constraints imposed by traditional publishers and have opened the way to limitless creativity and freedom of expression.

The influence of the underground is still felt today in the diversity and richness of graphic productions. Art Spiegelman, through his work and his career, perfectly embodies this spirit of innovation and transgression that continues to inspire new generations of authors.