A graphic novel about a painting looted by the Nazis wins the prize for best comic book at the prestigious International Comics Festival in Angouleme, southwest France.
Its author, “Luz,” is a former cartoonist at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, who escaped the deadly 2015 Islamist attack on its Paris offices because he arrived late that day.
“Deux Filles Nues” (Two Naked Girls) traces the true history of the 1919 painting by German Expressionist Otto Mueller, which was looted from a Jewish collector by the Nazis. It was eventually returned to his descendants after WWII.
The album wins out of 44 in competition for the prize.
“I started to become a comic book artist 10 years ago” after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, he says when receiving his award. “That was all there was to do.”
