Blake and Mortimer in Nice: an exhibition about paper Japan

While autumn hasn’t ended, in Nice you can see the exhibition «Mortimer et le Japon de papier» (‘Mortimer and the Paper Japan’): from 1 August 2026 to 31 January 2027 it is being shown by the Museum of Asian Arts on the Promenade des Anglais. Admission is free, and Edgar P. Jacobs’s comic is shown alongside prints from the museum’s collection.

What the exhibition is about

The exhibition is built around “The Three Formulas of Professor Sato” — the latest Blake and Mortimer volume. The action takes place in 1970s Japan: espionage, robots, scientific novelties and the author’s anxiety about cybernetics and how modernity is changing traditional Japanese society.

Jacobs himself never visited Japan. He reconstructed the country from abundant documentation: landscapes, architecture, household objects and traditions. That’s why the museum has things to display alongside the drawings — Japanese prints from its own collections that “converse” with the original pages.

What you can see

According to Recréanice and Ligne Claire, the exhibition includes 157 original works that have never been shown and 55 unpublished archival items. A particular draw for children and adults is a huge samurai robot inspired by the album’s plot.

There is a nuance to bear in mind: to preserve the fragile originals, the exhibition has been split into two parts. From 3 November 2026 a noticeable portion of the works will be replaced, so those who come both before and after that date will not see the same displays.

Workshops and family programme

Workshops run alongside the exhibition. According to Recréanice, among them are origami (from 3 years old, sessions begin on 10 October), Japanese printmaking — linocut and woodblock printing (from 8 years old), colouring comics from archival materials (from 8 years old), calligraphy (from 8 years old) and a storyboarding workshop with a practising artist (from 12 years old). On 10 October the programme also includes demonstrations and the first karate class (from 4 years old).

Tours and workshops require prior booking on the museum’s website maa.departement06.fr; enquiries by phone 04 89 04 55 20.

Building and practical information

The museum has been open since 1998; it was built by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, and the glass-and-metal interiors already set the right mood. Address: 405, Promenade des Anglais, 06200 Nice. Open from 10:00 to 18:00 Wednesday to Monday, closed on Tuesdays. It’s easy to reach by tram, lines 2 and 3, Parc Phoenix stop; paid parking is available in Arenas.

If you are going with children, choose a workshop in advance and sign up: sessions are by reservation. In the photo — two gilded figurines in the museum’s display cases; the exhibition’s own works are not shown in the picture.

If the exhibition captivated you, take a look at our overview of Côte d’Azur exhibitions in autumn 2026. And for film lovers in Nice there’s the history of the Victorine Studios, where films were made for a hundred years.

— — —

Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / Wikimedia Commons