Not On Display by Zelba. Translation by Alice Yang. Helvetiq, 2025. 9783039640843. 114pp. plus an Afterward by Zelba, an essay titled “The Nude In Art” by Fabrice Douar, and more.
This is part of the amazing Musée du Louvre graphic novels series published in France by Futuropolis, many of which are available in English and other languages. https://www.futuropolis.fr/collection/musee-du-louvre/ I’ve read most of them and this is by far my favorite.
In the opening pages of the book, a man and his father, at the front of the security line at the Louvre, take off all of their clothes before entering the museum. They’re not the only men who have to disrobe (though women and kids can leave their clothes on). What?!
Six months earlier, a cleaning lady out for a smoke with a coworker explains how much she loves the “ladies” in the galleries she cleans. The works of art feel like friends to her. She says can actually hear them talking, and that they’re sick of how they’ve been treated. She promises to pass their message on to the museum’s director, that the nude sculptures of women had enough with the “unwanted touching and obscene comments from men…” and that they’re planning a rebellion.
The cleaning lady is fired. And then the trouble at the museum begins! (It quickly expands a bit to include the nude women in paintings, too.)
The story walks a fine line between serious and entertaining. My favorite characters are the President-Director and his sister, who functions as his Executive Secretary, because they have a secret that keeps the museum running. As at the Louvre itself, though, the statues are really the stars of the story. Zelba’s illustrations and dialogue make some works of art more compelling than ever. Worth noting: the book has a perfect ending.
