Akira exhibit opens new NYC gallery dedicated to original comic book art

Good for Health - Bad for Education: A Tribute to Otomo
(Image credit: Katsuhiro Otomo)

A new art gallery is opening in New York City, dedicated exclusively to comic book art.

(Image credit: Dominique Bertail)

The Philippe Labaune Gallery is located at 534 W 24th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood, and its first exhibit will be 'Good for Health  - Bad for Education: A Tribute to Otomo.' Scheduled to run from April 8 to May 8, this exhibit will showcase 30 original illustrations by international artists in tribute to Katsuhiro Otomo's 1982 manga Akira.

The artists are Sara Pichelli, Paul Pope, Mathieu Bablet, Ian Bertram, François Boucq, Boulet, LRNZ, Dominique Bertail, Matthieu Bonhomme, Francesco Cattani, Simone D'Armini, Adrien Demont, Jean-Jacques Dzialowski, Benoit Féroumont, Manuele Fior, Joel Jurion, Kalonji, Viktor Kalvachev, Nicolas Keramidas, Li-An, Dilraj Mann, Laureline Mattiussi, Hugues Micol, Giannis Milonogiannis, Marion Mousse, Vincent Perriot, Victor Santos, Olivier Vatine, and Vince.

The gallery will also have an original by Otomo on display.

(Image credit: Mathieu Bablet)

Gallery founder Philippe Labaune is a long-time comic art collector, and follows the exhibit he organized last year in France called 'Line and Frame: A Survey of European Comic Art.' With the Philippe Labaune Gallery, he plans to celebrate 20th and 21st century original comic book art to include exhibitions by Paul Pope, Miles Hyman, and Nicolas de Crécy.

The opening of 'Good for Health - Bad for Education: A Tribute to Otomo' is scheduled for April 8 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Original comic book art is one of a kind. Thinking about getting into collecting it yourself, or buying it for someone else? Check out our expert's guide to collecting comic book art.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)