Bas-relief of Zig, Puce, and Alfred

The bas-relief featuring Zig, Puce, and Alfred is a unique part of Angoulême’s contemporary cultural heritage, reflecting the city’s identity as the capital of comics.

History

The bas-relief located on Avenue de Cognac in Angoulême depicts Zig, Puce, and their famous companion Alfred the penguin, characters created in 1925 by Alain Saint-Ogan. This series is considered one of the seminal works of modern comics in France. Alain Saint-Ogan was also the first patron of the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 1974, the year the festival was founded.

The choice of these characters is no coincidence: Alfred the penguin has become the festival’s historic mascot, and its first awards were even named after him (“the Alfreds”).

Architecture and Design

The monument is a carved bas-relief, that is, a work in which the figures emerge slightly from a stone background. Its style is deliberately understated and clear, faithful to Alain Saint-Ogan’s artwork, characterized by the “ligne claire” style, sharp contours, and great graphic simplicity. This aesthetic facilitates the adaptation of the comic book characters to a monumental format.

It was created in April 2016 by François Desforges, a stonemason from Coulgens, and Antoine Arnaud, an Alsatian sculptor and member of the Compagnons du Tour de France Des Devoirs Unis, as part of an initiative by the association La Rampe de l’image.

Heritage Significance

The bas-relief is part of Angoulême’s “small-scale heritage” and is one of a series of works dedicated to the ninth art: statues, murals, and sculptures scattered throughout the city. It symbolizes Angoulême’s commitment to making comics an integral part of its urban landscape and cultural heritage.

Beyond its artistic merit, it holds significant historical value:

• it pays tribute to one of the pioneers of French comics;
• it recalls the origins of the International Comics Festival;
• it symbolically marks the entrance to a city internationally recognized for its heritage related to the ninth art.

Thus, this bas-relief is at once a work of urban sculpture, a tribute to Alain Saint-Ogan, and an important milestone in Angoulême’s contemporary cultural heritage.