The title for this exhibit Manga Meets Louvre is pretty self explanatory.

4 Belgian artists Nicolas de Crécy, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, Eric Libelge, Bernard Yslaire and a Japanese Hirohiko Araki share their take on the Parisian institution.

Their work was on display at BankART 1929 since December 6 and closes on December 17, 2010.

It made a previous stop at Kyoto International Manga Museum (November 5 to December 3, 2010) as part of the museum's 4th anniversary.

Here's some insight in the exhibit program courtesy of Kyoto International Manga Museum:

"Comics in France are considered the "Ninth Art"; thus, the Louvre, one of the world's preeminent museums, recognizes it as a respected art form. As part of a project with Futuropolis, publishing company in France, the Louvre asked representative BD artists to create original works with "The Louvre Museum" as their theme, which will be published in a book. This exhibit will focus on displaying these works including original works, rich with the individuality of the five artists. In addition to the four French BD artists, Japanese manga artist Araki Hirohiko will also take part in the series.

In addition to the four distinguished French and Belgian BD artists, Araki Hirohiko, a Japanese manga artist who stands out for his work on series such as Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, is also taking part in the exhibition. This has made international news as a symbol of Japanese manga's growing popularity and influence around the world. We hope you enjoy seeing the skills of the BD and manga artists in this collaborative project."

You can find illustrations, details on the Louvre/ Futuropolis collaboration and the artists in BD and Manga meets Louvre : French and Japanese artists in the Museum (Kyoto International Manga Museum)

A good place to visit for art events in Tokyo is Tokyo Art Beat.

Manga with a Belgian (French) Twist for Tokyo Thursdays # 170

Previously: Soba Making Class with Chef Kotani, Japanese Culinary Center, NY, Dec.20

(* BankART 1929 main site is in Japanese only. I linked to a PDF in English giving an overview of the space and its activities)