Exploring the Growing Appreciation for Comic Books in Switzerland: A Visit to Basel’s Cartoonmuseum

This weekend I went the Cartoonmuseum in Basel where I  visited an exhibition dedicated to Gerhard Glück, a German satirist cartoonist who notably collaborated with the magazine NZZ in Zurich. His work, precise and ironic, depicts the absurdities of everyday life through a subtle play between text and image. But above all I was amazed by the place which truly honors comic strips and press drawings. It is also the oldest Swiss museum dedicated to comics, founded in 1979 by Dieter Burckhardt. His ambition was then to make his private collection of comic books, comic strips, caricatures and humorous drawings accessible to the general public, thus creating the foundation Collection of caricatures & cartoons.

Although it was recognized like “9th art”, in the Europe, comics and visual art linked to text are still struggling to establish themselves in major museums. However, in other cultures, such as in Asia, the dialogue between text and image is a deeply rooted tradition. Japanese emakimono, dating from the Nara period (710-794), are an emblematic example: these illustrated scrolls combine calligraphy and painting, creating a unique narrative dynamic which developed over the century into other artistic trends.

However, comics in Switzerland have an ancient and rich history. Rodolphe Töpffer is often considered the father of modern comics with "The Story of M. Jabot" (1831, published in 1833 in Geneva). Long perceived as simple entertainment, comics have struggled to find a place among the recognized arts in Switzerland. In particular, figures like Zep (Titeuf), Cosey (Jonathan) or Derib (Yakari), who contributed to the development of comics in Switzerland and its international recognition, often had to turn to French or Belgian publishers to achieve success.

Today this recognition is progressing. Dedicated institutions are emerging, such as the École Supérieure de Bande Dessinée et d’Illustration (ESBDI) in Geneva, founded in 2017, or the BD Center of the City of Lausanne, created in 2013, as well as the International Festival of Comics in Lausanne (BDFIL), occuring since 2005. The opening of the Geneva comics museum, scheduled for 2027, demonstrates a growing interest in this art. If Switzerland still has a way to go to fully integrate comics into the classic museum landscape, these initiatives show that this art is gradually asserting itself in the artistic and cultural heritage of the country.

If you are interested in comics, I highly recommend visiting the Cartoonmuseum in Basel. In addition to its captivating exhibitions, you will find a library on the first floor and a shop on the ground floor, offering comics in French, German and English, as well as a wide selection of illustrations.

Images:

Gerhard Glück, Van Gogh.

Unknown Artist, Hungry Ghosts Scroll, 12th Century, Kyoto National Museum