June 13, 2016

DS & VAILLANTE, TWO FRENCH BRANDS CONNECT

DS & VAILLANTE, TWO FRENCH BRANDS CONNECT

From 10 June to 3 September 2016, DS World Paris is organising a new exhibition, ‘DS & Vaillante, two French brands’.

The exhibition explores the connections that have linked the two brands for nearly 60 years. Visitors will be able to find out all about the rich history of Michel Vaillant and his creators, Jean and Philippe Graton, and the creation of Renaissance, the new album of Michel Vaillant adventures published by Éditions Dupuis.

Also on show will be a historical DS, echoing the racing debut of Michel Vaillant, and DSV-01, the all-electric single-seater of the DS Virgin Racing team currently competing in the FIA Formula E Championship. It is against this vehicle that Michel Vaillant races at the 2016 Paris ePrix event in the new album.

The new album will be on sale exclusively at DS World Paris starting on 10 June 2016, ahead of its general release on 17 June.

 

“While one is real and the other fictional, DS and Vaillante are nevertheless two intimately linked French brands that have left their mark on history,” says Julien Faux, Director of DS World Paris. “Today, they have come together once again in the new album of Michel Vaillant adventures – an ideal opportunity for exhibiting nearly 60 years of history to the public.”

THE DS & VAILLANTE: TWO FRENCH BRANDSEXHIBITION, A CONTINUING STORY

The exhibition explores the links between two French automotive brands: DS and Vaillante – the brand created in 1957 by Jean Graton for his comic book Michel Vaillant. The two brands’ paths have crossed a number of times in the last 60 years. The show plunges visitors into a unique world where the real and the fictional meet. On each floor of DS World Paris, visitors will learn more about how DS has always been a part of the adventures of Michel Vaillant.

The lower level is exhibiting all the excerpts from the albums in which DS cars feature alongside Vaillante cars, for example on the road in the Route de nuit album or on the track in the5 Filles dans la course book.

On the ground floor, Jean Graton and his DS are in the limelight, along with Jean Graton’s artistic work, including one of his original storyboards

On the first floor, the spotlight is on the new album of Michel Vaillant adventures,  Renaissance, together with Formula E, the motorsport competition of the 21st century. The first floor is also home to DSV-01, the all-electric single-seater of the DS Virgin Racing team competing in the FIA Formula E Championship. It is against this car that Michel Vaillant races in the new episode.

For Philippe Graton, the son of Jean and current story writer of Michel Vaillant, “Combining the real and the fictional, this exhibition is thoroughly original, and the links between the brands are fascinating. DS and Vaillante are contemporaneous, sharing boldness and styling elegance, technological innovations, and French-style expertise”.

THE RENAISSANCE ALBUM AND MICHEL VAILLANT ART STRIPSIN AN EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW

The Renaissance album will be on sale in a world exclusive at DS World Paris ahead of release by Éditions Dupuis on 17 June in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada.

The fifth episode of the new season, the album transports readers to the heart of the FIA Formula E Championship. Alongside Michel Vaillant, readers will rub shoulders with, among others, the members of DS Performance, the DS brand’s motorsport division that is working to develop DSV-01, the race car of the DS Virgin Racing team.

The Renaissance album will be on sale at €15.50.

Four ‘Michel Vaillant Art Strips’ (large-format adaptations of drawings) will also be on sale during the residency. These original contemporary art works pay homage to the work of Jean Graton.