The Art of DC – The Dawn of Superheroes

From 31st March 2017 to 10th September 2017, Art Ludique-Le Musée presents “The Art of DC - The dawn of Superheroes”.

Good news for fans of DC comics and movie: after hosting the Pixar, Aardman, Miyazaki and Walt Disney Studios exhibitions, the Paris museum presents its latest celebration of pop culture.

This exhibition celebrates DC’s rich history and unique mythology.

It tells the story of the comics company named after Detective Comics (the title that first featured Batman) and its iconic Super Heroes and Super-Villains such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Joker.

The exhibit features more than 300 preparatory sketches for the cinema and nearly 250 original drawings of DC’s Super Heroes and Super-Villains, as well as iconic scenes and landmarks, from world artists such as Jim Lee, Bob Kane, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, Alex Ross and many more.

Fans will see original costumes from blockbuster DC films including the famous cape worn by Christopher Reeve in the Superman movies and Lynda Carter’s iconic Wonder Woman costume from the 1970s.

But also original pieces from recent films directed by Zack Snyder, Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan. Some pieces from the Wonder Woman film that premieres on June 2017 will also be showcased.

This unique exhibition presents almost a century of artistic creations that followed the introduction of an innovative new genre imagined by two adolescents from Cleveland, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, the creators of Superman. First introduced in Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman quickly influenced art, literature, fashion, TV and, of course, films.

The rapid success of Superman quickly inspired other publishers and a young artist by the name of Bob Kane, who along with Bill Finger, created the character of ‘the Bat-Man,’ an extraordinary new hero whose first adventures were featured in a DC book the following year.

While Superman is the champion dedicated to protecting life and battling injustice with these superpowers, Batman is a mortal man fighting crime using his intellect, physical training, and an arsenal of gadgets. They are two opposites - the near-god and simple mortal.

However, this contemporary mythology would not have been complete without the fundamental presence of Wonder Woman, a character who became a symbol for peace, justice and equality. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman defined the genre on which all subsequent Super Heroes are based.

 

A team of super bad guys
In the DCs universe, when high risk missions require extreme measures which do not agree with the moral code of the superheroes, the American government uses the services of "TaskForce X", better known under the name of "Suicide Squad". The team is composed of imprisoned super-nasty villains, selected for their unique skills,  and the fact that they are people who can be sacrificed if ever the mission turned out badly. Their only motivation is the promise of a remission, if the mission succeeds.
When "Suicide Squad" appeared for the first time in September, 1959, it was a traditional military team.  The current "Suicide Squad" was introduced into the pages of Legends #3 in January, 1987.
In 2016, the film Suicide Squad marked the movie debuts of Deadshot, Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, Katana, El Diablo, Killer Croc and the Enchantress. It offered a new vision of The Joker and it particularly highlights one of the most recent super-bad girls, the already iconic Harley Quinn.

For more information on the exhibition: www.artludique.com

For more information on DCs universe: www.dccomics.com