skip to content
Advertisement
Premium
This is an archive article published on March 15, 2015

Asterix artwork raises 150,000 euros for Charlie Hebdo victims

12 people were killed when two Islamist gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the satirical Charlie Hebdo weekly.

charlie-hebdo-759 Asterisk and Obelix mourning for Charlie Hebdo victims (Source: asterixofficiel /Twitter)

An original page of artwork from the 1971 comic “Asterix and the Laurel Wreath” went under the hammer in Paris for 150,000 euros, with the proceeds going entirely to the families of victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

The storyboard from the 18th comic in the popular French series will carry a special dedication by co-creator Albert Uderzo while auction house Christie’s said it would waive its commission for the charity sale.

[related-post]

The artwork, which was sold at an auction on Saturday dedicated to comic books, had been valued at between 150,000 and 200,000 euros (USD 157,000- USD 209,000). There was no immediate information about the buyer.

Story continues below this ad

Twelve people were killed when two Islamist gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the satirical Charlie Hebdo weekly on January 7, in an attack that shocked France. The publication had repeatedly been threatened for its cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed.

Two days after the shootings, Uderzo came out of retirement to pen cartoons in tribute to the victims, who included some of the country’s most celebrated cartoonists.

“Moi aussi je suis un Charlie” (“I’m Charlie too”) says Asterix in one of the cartoons, echoing the “Je Suis Charlie” slogan adopted by people around the world protesting at the attack on freedom of expression. The drawing also showed the Gallic cartoon hero punching an adversary high into the air.

The second cartoon showed Asterix and his sidekick Obelix bowing their heads in grief, holding their hats. Asterix grasps a rose, and their pet Dogmatix looks on with a sad look.

“Charlie Hebdo and Asterix are very different, of course. I am not going to change my stripes,” 87-year-old Uderzo told Europe 1 radio at the time.

Story continues below this ad

“I simply wanted to show my friendship for these cartoonists who have paid with their lives.”

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement