Gallery Presentation

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Barbier, the Barbier Gallery specializes in comic art. The artists it supports share a unique graphic style and a high level of artistic demand, which pushes them to question the boundaries of comic book storytelling, making them key figures in the Ninth Art.

For many years, the gallery has been supporting major artists, mainly French, such as Christophe Blain, Blutch, Nicolas de Crécy, Jean-Claude Götting, Philippe Druillet, Pénélope Bagieu, Enki Bilal, and Catherine Meurisse, as well as international artists like the Englishman Dave McKean and the Swiss artist Cosey. The gallery also champions emerging talent, supporting up-and-coming artists such as Pierre-Henry Gomont, AJ Dungo, and Elene Usdin.

To enhance the visibility of their works, the gallery produces special editions for its exhibitions: catalogs, drawing collections, luxury black-and-white prints signed by the artists, or accompanied by bookplates.

Formerly known as the Bdartist(e) gallery and then as Barbier & Mathon, it has existed since October 16, 2000. Initially located on Rue Condorcet, it now benefits from two distinct exhibition spaces on Rue Choron in Paris, allowing the gallery to present up to two exhibitions simultaneously.

Jean-Baptiste Barbier is also committed to expanding the visibility of the artists he represents by curating institutional exhibitions such as “Métal Hurlant (À suivre) 1975-1997: The Comic Book Revolution…” presented at the Hélène & Édouard Leclerc Fund for Culture in Landerneau between December 2013 and May 2014. In 2022, he co-curated the retrospective dedicated to Christophe Blain: "Drawing Time," which was shown at the Moebius Vessel from March 17 to 20, 2022, as part of the 49th Angoulême International Comics Festival. In 2023, he co-curated the exhibition dedicated to Philippe Druillet: "The 6 Journeys of Philippe Druillet," presented at the Angoulême Fine Arts Museum from January 26 to March 12, 2023.

In an effort to support the new generation, he founded the Philippe Druillet - Barbier Gallery Prize for Young Creation in 2023. This prize recognizes an album published by an author or artist early in their career. The winners to date have been "La falaise" by Manon Debaye (Sarbacane Editions) and "Sans panique" by Coline Hégron (Delcourt Editions).

He is also the founder of the journal Portfolio, published quarterly, which highlights “contemporary creation through interviews and images.” Its first issue, dedicated to Enki Bilal and street artist Invader, was released in January 2024.