Hot on heels of the success of its first exhibition dedicated to the work of Hugo Pratt, “Le Trait Libéré”, the Galerie Du 9ÈME Art in Paris has announced “Une Balade un peu plus loin” (“A Walk a Little Further”), a second installation featuring the art of the creator of Corto Maltese.
The new exhibition, opens tomorrow, Thursday 20th March, at 6.00 pm in the presence of Silvina Pratt, Hugo Pratt’s daughter, who will be signing copies of the book Je me souviens de Pratt: Conversations à Malamocco (“I Remember Pratt: Conversations in Malamocco”), co-written with Michel Jans.
It’s another opportunity to discover some of the iconic art of the creator of Corto Maltese, the works presented to retrace his life as an artist and traveller.
“We invite you to dream a little longer in front of his watercolours and alongside your favourite characters.”
Through the emblematic figure of Corto Maltese and his companions, Hugo Pratt represented across all continents.
Hugo Pratt was born in Rimini on 15th June 1927, and grew up in Venice before leaving for Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia). In 1940, while still a teenager, he was drafted into the Italian army.
His first comic book, L’As de Pique (“The Ace of Spades”), was published in 1945. He then joined the publishing house Uragano Comics alongside Dino Battaglia, Paolo Ongaro, and Mario Faustinelli. Quickly spotted by Cesare Civita, he moved to Argentina for a few years, where he met Héctor Oesterheld and published, among other works, Sergent Kirk.
After World War Two he worked on US-inspired Italian comics, before moving on to a brief spell working on British publisher Fleetway’s War Picture Library titles, all reprinted by Rebellion, across three volumes: Battle Stations (2020), Battler Britton and Night of the Devil (2021) and The Crimson Sea and The Iron Fist. (The latter two books are available in print from the Treasury of British Comics webshop, currently at a much reduced price).
La ballade de la mer salée (“The Ballad of the Salt Sea” was published in 1967, the first adventure of the character Corto Maltese, which marked the international renown of its creator. Pratt also has dozens of publications to his credit, including Junglemen (1979), Fanfulla (1981), Sergeant Kirk (1984-1987) and Morgan (1999), to name but a few.
Throughout his life, Hugo Pratt traveled the world, from Italy to Brazil, from the Caribbean to France. He died in Lausanne on 20th August 1995, considered to this day one of the most iconic figures in European comics.
• “Une Balade un peu plus loin” (“A Walk a Little Further”), 20th March – 19th April 2025, Galerie du 9ème Art, 4 Rue Crétet, 75009 Paris, France | Web: galerie9art.fr
• “Le Trait Libéré”, the Galerie Du 9ÈME Art – view the art online
• Je me souviens de Pratt: Conversations à Malamocco (“I Remember Pratt: Conversations in Malamocco”), by Michel Jans and Silvina Pratt (French edition, AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Hugo Pratt left Argentina to return to Venice in 1962. In the years that followed, he would start a family, create his major works, and find recognition. In this book, his friends, colleagues, wife, and daughter talk about this Hugo who was not yet the legendary figure he would later strive to build. Family photos and anecdotes retrace a period of intense creativity and joie de vivre: The Malamocco Years.
• Read Keith Page’s Hugo Pratt Creator Spotlight
Artist and writer Keith Page shines a light on the work and impact of Corto Maltese creator Hugo Pratt, on his own work and that of others…
Hugo Pratt: War Picture Library
• Battle Stations, Battler Britton and Night of the Devil (AmazonUK Affiliate Links)
• The Crimson Sea is available here direct from The Treasury of British Comics web shop | Hardback | ISBN: 978-1837861996 | Digital Edition (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• The Iron Fist is available here direct from The Treasury of British Comics web shop | Hardback | ISBN: 978-1837862009 | Digital Edition (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, Other Worlds
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