AT FESTIVAL
Argentinean drawer José Muñoz is considered one of most meaningful authors of contemporary comic.
His images made of rough strokes and sharp contrasts between black and white, are aimed at giving back an expressionist deformation of a grotesque every-day life, but also at reflecting the richness of Argentinean culture. In his stories we can find the influence of different authors, from novel writers such as Borges, Arlt and Cortázar, to some of the most significant names of international graphic novel scene, such as Breccia and Oesterheld, who deeply influenced both, his graphic and narrative approach to comic.
After moving to Spain in the 70s, Muñoz starts his extremely successful collaboration and friendship with writer Carlos Sampayo. Together they give birth to Alack Sinner character, a cynic and disenchanted private detective inspired by hard-boiled novels by Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. Their alliance produces numerous stories translated all over the world, such as Joe’s Bar and Sudor Sudac, and also graphic novels dedicated to their passion for musicians Billie Holiday (1993) and Carlos Gardel (2010).
Their stories often show bitter atmospheres and characters whose faces are the direct evidence of their experiences; strong and dramatic paths characterized by a sorrowful every-day life able to arouse ambitions, but also cruelty and violence. Just Like Life… is a path through Muñoz’s work aimed at recreating his 40-year artistic experience as graphic novels author. The exposition collects more than two hundred artworks from Muñoz’s books drawn and written in collaboration with Carlos Sampayo and North-American novelist Jérôme Charyn, and also ink drawings and colour illustrations made through the years.
His images made of rough strokes and sharp contrasts between black and white, are aimed at giving back an expressionist deformation of a grotesque every-day life, but also at reflecting the richness of Argentinean culture. In his stories we can find the influence of different authors, from novel writers such as Borges, Arlt and Cortázar, to some of the most significant names of international graphic novel scene, such as Breccia and Oesterheld, who deeply influenced both, his graphic and narrative approach to comic.
After moving to Spain in the 70s, Muñoz starts his extremely successful collaboration and friendship with writer Carlos Sampayo. Together they give birth to Alack Sinner character, a cynic and disenchanted private detective inspired by hard-boiled novels by Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. Their alliance produces numerous stories translated all over the world, such as Joe’s Bar and Sudor Sudac, and also graphic novels dedicated to their passion for musicians Billie Holiday (1993) and Carlos Gardel (2010).
Their stories often show bitter atmospheres and characters whose faces are the direct evidence of their experiences; strong and dramatic paths characterized by a sorrowful every-day life able to arouse ambitions, but also cruelty and violence. Just Like Life… is a path through Muñoz’s work aimed at recreating his 40-year artistic experience as graphic novels author. The exposition collects more than two hundred artworks from Muñoz’s books drawn and written in collaboration with Carlos Sampayo and North-American novelist Jérôme Charyn, and also ink drawings and colour illustrations made through the years.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Buenos Aires in 1942, Muñoz studies at Escuela Panamericana de Arte, where he attends Hugo Pratt and Alberto Breccia’s courses. He starts out as Francisco Solano López’s assistant, and collaborates with Argentinean master Oesterheld. In 1963 he starts to work on crime scripts, and creates Precinto 56, a comic series for weekly magazine “Misterix”. After leaving Argentina, he moves to London and then to Spain, where he meets and starts to collaborate with Carlos Sampayo in 1974. He also works with other writers, such as Jérôme Charyn (Le croc du serpent, 1994 and Panna Maria, 1996). His books were translated in French, English, Finnish, Greek, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Serbian, Danish, German and Castellan. Since 2001 he has been living in France, where – in 2007 - he received the “Grand Prix de la Ville d’Angoulême.