‘Corto Maltese, un monde en aventures’, from 27th April until 9th November 2025 – Saline Royale, Arc et Senans
At the Saline Royale in Bourgogne, Hugo Pratt’s art meets the history of a place symbolism of trade and travel: the exhibition ‘Corto Maltese, un monde en aventures’ it’s coming.
Three exhibition rooms explore Hugo Pratt’s creative universe, and among the original plates, watercolours and reproductions on display, the adventures of Corto Maltese are ideally intertwined with the history of the Saline, a crossroads where the routes of the sea meet those of the land.
CORTO MALTESE AT THE SALINE ROYALE
Conceived as an ideal industrial community, where function and form complement each other, this place now welcomes another form of travel: that imagined by Hugo Pratt. The rational geometry of the Saline contrasts with the unpredictability of the routes of Corto Maltese, who crosses seas and continents without ever following a set path.
The ‘Corto Maltese, un monde en aventures’ exhibition at the Saline Royal invites visitors to discover the world of Corto Maltese through a thematic itinerary in three exhibition rooms: the first is dedicated to Hugo Pratt’s biography and the genesis of the most famous pirate in the world of comics; the second celebrates the role of women in Corto’s adventures; the third leads to imaginary horizons, after a passage through the depths of Mu. And to conclude the view, Thierry Thomas’ biographical film “Trait pour trait”, inspired by the book that won the 2020 Goncourt Prize for biography.
The exhibition benefits from loans from the ethnological collections of the Musée des Confluences, as well as original plates, watercolours and drawings lent by private collectors.
Curators:
Patrizia Zanotti, CONG SA
Michel Pierre
Isabelle Sallé, Saline royale
A magnificent place then, for another reality and dream journey of drawn literature. On the other hand, it all started with a story entitled ‘A Ballad of the Salty Sea’.
En 2025, c’est un monde d’aventures, celles de Corto Maltese, le héros à la ligne de chance tracée d’un coup de rasoir, celui qui va de l’île du Moine au continent Mū, des déserts glacés de Sibérie aux pâturages helvétiques, accompagné du rythme lancinant des derviches tourneurs, ou du chant mystérieux d’une harpe celtique, de la vénéneuse Venexiana à la douce Pandora qui presque le tua. Chaque fois que l’on ouvre un album de Corto le temps se dilate et le vol silencieux des mouettes dans le ciel du pacifique, sous le regard de Corto, a un goût d’éternité.
EPCC Saline Royale
Grande rue, 25610 Arc et Senans
NEARBY TOWNS: Besançon (35km), Dole (30km)
TICKETS (the exhibition ticket includes a visit to the Saline Royale)
– 1 April to 31 October: adults €15,00
– 1 November to 9 November: adulti €13.00
November to March : 10am – 5pm
April, May, June, September and October : 9am – 6pm
July and August : 9am – 7pm
Some of the artworks on display at the Saline Royal for the exhibition dedicated to Corto Maltese ‘Un monde ed aventures’
