The art of manga in all its glory revealed at the Guimet Museum

One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball, like many of us, you've probably heard these names before, or even read some volumes and watched some episodes. But do you know the name of the first officially published manga? Are you aware that many mangakas draw inspiration from traditional Japanese folklore? Can you measure the impact of exchanges between Japanese and Western cultures on the development of this phenomenon? These are just a few of the fascinating insights that The Guimet Museum shares in its brand-new exhibition, pop, colorful, and decidedly modern.

The Origins of Manga

Every year, thousands of manga copies are sold around the world. Recently, these graphic novels in black and white have become must-haves in bookstores, often captivating a relatively young audience. Yet, these Japanese comic strips...

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As you wander through the rooms, the Musée Guimet invites you to dive into the origins of manga, offering a thorough insight into the first Japanese satirical publications and their modern impact on popular culture. You'll explore the birth of Astro Boy, the first successful manga, and the invention of shojo manga, and much more!

One after the other, the institution immerses us in the world of the greatest manga authors, like Osamu Tezuka, Hirata Hiroshi, or Mizuki Shigeru, before revealing to us the secrets of success of some of the biggest sagas in the genre, such as Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, or Dragon Ball. A complete, colorful, and visual immersion into this universe that has become a true global phenomenon.

Tezuka Osamu (1928-1989), Astro Boy, 1952-1968, vol. 6, chap 6, p.331-332 © Tezuka Productions

Manga, a Treasure from an Ancient Tradition

Next, on the second floor of the Museum, Estelle Bauer and Didier Pasamonik, the curators of the exhibition, invite us to travel back in time by exploring Japanese art before the birth of manga. The goal here isn’t to trace the origins of the genre, but rather to build a bridge between its chronologically distant works.

fig.5 Kawa na be Kyôsai (1831-1889), Fuhrohuju dressed as a Western businessman, Japan, Meiji era (1868-1912), 1880 © Musée Guimet, Paris (distr. GrandPalaisRmn) / photo Thierry Ollivier.

To start, we joyfully discover the first humorous drawings from Japan, alongside the establishment of illustrated texts and the development of printed books. Representations of deities, connections between images and words, and the use of speech bubbles as a expression of the imagination create a delightful unexpected dialogue that, nevertheless, makes perfect sense, bridging tradition and modernity.

Then enjoy a focus on one of the masterpieces...

Under the Wave off Kanagawa - Hokusai Katsushika (1760-1849) © GrandPalaisRmn (MNAAG, Paris) / Harry Bréjat

To dive deeper, throughout the duration of the exhibition, the Guimet Museum invites you to join a whole series of activities and events. There will be puppet theater shows, special screenings, and lectures exploring the world of manga, a cosplay contest and giant karaoke, a special day dedicated to martial arts, and even a unique voice-over workshop featuring one of the best French anime voices, Brigitte Lecordier! There's something for everyone, no matter your age or taste! To help you choose, the full agenda is available right here!