Conference on the subject of ‘Freemasonry in comics’ with lectures, discussions and a signing session with the authors and illustrators Didier Convard, Denis Falque and François Morel, who travel from Paris especially for the event.
The conference language is French. Admission is free.
Please register using the form at the bottom of this page.
Programme
| 10:00 | Welcome address Robin Heizmann, Museum Director |
| Why an exhibition on ‘Freemasonry and comics? Dominique Alain Freymond, curator of the exhibition and moderator of the talks | |
| 10:30 | The background to the success of the series ‘The Secret Triangle’ and ‘The Epic of Freemasonry’ Interviews with the author Didier Convard and the illustrator Denis Falque Discussion with the audience |
| 11:15 | Commented tour of the exhibition and book signing by Didier Convard and Denis Falque |
| 12:00 | Apéro riche |
| 14:00 | Humour in Freemasonry Discussion with the illustrator François Morel, author of ‘Les colonnes sont muettes’ and ‘Il en est de même à l'Orient’ Discussion with the audience |
| 15:15 | Commented tour of the exhibition and book signing with François Morel |
| 16:30 | End of the event |
Didier Convard – the successful author, illustrator and scenarist
2023 © La Région
Didier Convard was born in Paris in 1950 and is a lover of esotericism, fantasy and the unusual. He published his first drawings in Saga magazine and in 1982, after François Bourgeon, he took over the drawings for the adventures of Brunelle and Colin. He also published a fantasy series, Chats, with Éditions Dargaud.
Parallel to his career as an illustrator, Didier Convard wrote numerous scenarios for Gine, including Neige and Finkel. His album Blake and Mortimer – The Immovable Adventure (1998) was translated into German, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. In 2000, in close collaboration with the illustrator Denis Falque and thanks to a versatile team, he brought the seven albums of the series The Secret Triangle onto the market. The success was overwhelming and the series grew to a total of over 30 albums, 4 special editions and several complete editions with around 3 million copies sold.
In March 2025, Didier Convard will complete the 12th album of the series The Epic of Freemasonry, started in 2020. Didier was initiated into the lodge ‘La Loi d’Action et Guillaume Tell réunis’ No. 475 of the Grand Lodge of France.
Denis Falque – the gifted illustrator
© Francesca Mantovani, Editions Glénat
Denis Falque was born in Lyon on 12 June 1969 and trained as a draughtsman at the École Émile Cohl. After a few steps in an advertising agency, he decided to venture into the world of comics and became a colourist, in particular for Olivier Berlion and his Cadet des Soupetard. In 1994, he drew the humorous series Graindazur (1994), then the dreamy Le Fond du Monde (1997) and finally Jane with Philippe Bonifay.
Didier Convard and the publisher Glénat asked him for his talent for the modern period of The Secret Triangle (2000). The success of this collaboration continues with I.N.R.I., Les Gardiens du Sang, Lacrima Christi and Rectificando. As of 2020, he is one of the main illustrators of the series L’épopée de la Franc-Maçonnerie (The Epic of Freemasonry). Denis Falque is not a Freemason.
François Morel – the great finesse of masonic humour
2024 © François Morel
François Morel, a Freemason of the Grand Lodge of the French Masonic Alliance (GL-AMF), is an illustrator specialising in Masonic cartoons. He has contributed to several editions of the Freemason’s holiday booklet (Trédaniel). Together with Jacques Carletto, he published Les Secrets de la méthode maçonnique (Dervy-Livres, 2020).
Two successful albums with drawings and humorous texts are particularly noteworthy: Les Colonnes sont muettes (Ed. Scribe, 2018) and Il en est de même à l’Orient (Numerilivre Eds, 2022). His drawings are regularly published on the hiram.be and 450.fm websites.
