Caballero Bueno

Presentation of several plates from the comic strip alongside photos from the expedition to Easter Island

On the occasion of the launch of the French comic Caballero Bueno - Une enquête de l'inspecteur Valverde, written by Thomas Lavachery and illustrated by Thomas Gilbert, the Art and History Museum is exhibiting original plates from the work, along with a series of photographs from the 1934 Franco-Belgian expedition to Easter Island.

Inspired by the story of Henri Lavachery (the screenwriter's grandfather), who participated in the 1934 expedition, Caballero Bueno is set on Easter Island, a Chilean colony, at the beginning of the 20th century. Most of the island was then operated by an English company that kept thousands of sheep there. One day, a member of this company, Anthony Wilcox, is found horribly murdered. After weeks of fruitless investigation, the Chilean president turns the case over to one of the country's best inspectors, Guillermo Valverde. This one ends up in a small, island community full of palpable tensions and carefully kept secrets....

Thomas Gilbert's plates and photographs from the 1934 expedition are displayed alongside three masterpieces of Easter Island art: Pou Hakanononga, the oldest known giant stone statue, and two exceptionally crafted wooden figurines.