Exhibitions

Exhibition: The great Ibáñez

This exhibition presents a good overview of the work of Francisco Ibáñez, one of the best known and most prolific Spanish cartoonist and icon of several generations.

His professional debut in 1956 come from the hand of La Rosa and Paseo Infantil magazines. A year later, he began his collaboration with the publishing house Bruguera, which employed the greatest authors of the time, who Ibañez admired and respected, such as Escobar or Peñarroya.

In 1958, the magazine Pulgarcito published for the first time the stories of Mortadelo and Filemon, the most famous couple of private detectives. Firstly, their adventures were captured in one-page comic strips which later became larger. In our days, these detectives continue with their prolific investigations.

In this exhibition we can see some of the magazines where our characters dwelled, including the first publication of thir adventures, as well as original cartoons. The lucke people of Bilbao and those who happen to be in this city during the exhibition will have the unique opportunity to enjoy not only the stories but also the company of their author.

But these are not the only characters created by Ibáñez. Not at all. We can also cite "La familia Trapisonda, un grupito que es la monda”, born on DDT magazine a year after the detectives, “13 Rue del Percebe”, created for the magazine Tio Vivo in 1961, "El botones Sacarino”, a character based, according to Ibáñez, on his own experience, his favorite character "Rompetechos", who first saw the light in 1964 in Tio Vivo, and "Pepe Gotera and Otilio, chapuzas a domicilio”, released in Tio Vivo, in 1966.
The exhibition will present original drawings of all the characters cited, as well as other series by this fantastic cartoonist such as  “Anda ríase usted del Arca de Noé” or "Increíble pero mentira”. Similarly, the exhibition includes several other magazines where these characters appeared such as Can Can, Super Sacarino, Mortadelo, in addition to the previously cited DDT, Tío Vivo and Pulgarcito.