2000 – Moebius Odyssey

Champagne Paul Hérard – Cuvée 2000
Paul Hérard
13 x 18 x 3cm (approx.) wooden box
1 black & white certificate, 6 colour plates 10.5 x 15.5cm

A French family-run Champagne house Paul Hérard (first established in 1925) decided to come up with a unique way to celebrate the upcoming 2nd millennium with their Cuvée 2000 champagne vintage. Paul Hérard commissioned 6 artists to each create a unique decorative champagne label around the theme of the year 2000 as part of a limited edition numbered & signed boxset of only 200.

The artists chosen for this unique commission were:
Jean-Christophe Chauzy, Fabrice Lebeault, Emmanuel Lepage, Mezzo, Sylvain Savoia and of course Moebius.

Presented in a handsome wooden box, the Cuvée 2000 boxset is opened by sliding it’s lid outwards to reveal the certificate of authenticity bearing the head of Dionysus (Greek)/Bacchus (Roman) the deity of wine and ecstasy and below that the boxset’s edition number handwritten in pencil. Underneath the certificate is the 6 beautifully designed champagne labels, each mounted onto a card and numbered & signed by the artist in pencil underneath.

A toast to Jean Giraud on what would have been his 81st birthday today…
À VOTRE SANTÉ & CHEERS TO MOEBIUS!

2001 Après Jésus Christ / 2001 After Jesus Christ (2000)
Stardom
24 x 16.5cm, 40 pages

On the hardcover of 2001 Après Jésus Christ (2001 After Jesus Christ) the central protagonist Jesus (or Isa) stands alone within an empty desert landscape, facing towards the east. This cover would later be paralleled for the French 2nd Edition of 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” (40 Days In The Desert “B”) but instead with the Techno-Boudha seated on the ground, holding a bow and arrow, also facing (and taking aim) towards the east.

2001 Après Jésus Christ & 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” French 2nd Edition (2001) front covers

2001 Après Jésus Christ & 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” French 2nd Edition (2001) back covers

2001 Après Jésus Christ opens with a preface written in French by Max Armanet titled Nouvelle apocryphe (New Apocryphal) giving an insight on the project’s creation and the premise of the narrative. On the pages on the left of 2001 Après Jésus Christ is an accompanying story also written in French by Jean-Luc Coudray and opposite on the pages on the right is Moebius’ illuminating artwork.

Where the title of 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” contained an allusion to the titular Abrahamic prophet, 2001 Après Jésus Christ makes direct reference to the historical figure but reimagined 2 millennia later by Moebius. Through artistic interpretation, Moebius’ Jésus is athletic, bohemian and Middle Eastern. Moebius’ art inside feels vaguely Ligne Claire (clear line) in style but with subtle line details, filled with natural, earthy colours that are occasionally juxtaposed with splashes of luminescent tones.

2001 Après Jésus Christ uses a thicker print stock than 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” but instead with a fine horizontal grain and as with with 40 Days Dans Le Désert “B” also printed in Italy at Artegrafica Silva.