Through January 3, 2027, the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget is hosting an exhibition celebrating the cartoonists who have depicted aeronautical endeavors over the centuries.
Cham, Daumier, Reiser, Coco, Camille Besse, and Riss… These famous cartoonists, known for their humor, are featured at the Air and Space Museum to add “a parodic approach to a heroic narrative” and “present the long history of aeronautical inventions, which cartoonists have helped bring to the general public.” ” And to highlight this work, the organizers invite visitors to discover “all the nuances of laughter, ranging from the glorification of pilots to nationalist propaganda during armed conflicts, all the way to the experience of travel in the age of mass tourism.”
Prints, newspapers, postcards, as well as plates and fans, are displayed one after another for visitors to see. To bring these works together, the Air and Space Museum obtained loans from several institutions: the Mode & Dentelle Museum (Brussels), La Contemporaine (Nanterre), and the Tomi Ungerer Museum (Strasbourg).
The exhibition is divided into four thematic sections. The first, titled “Laughing at the Novelty and Adventures of the First Flights,” covers the period from the reign of Louis XVI to the Second Empire. The second, titled “The Balloon: A Recurring Motif in a Booming Satirical Press,” shows how balloon flights were sometimes co-opted for political criticism. The third, titled “The Dawn of Aviation Highlighted by Caricature,” focuses on the Great War. Finally, the last section, “The Aviation Industry: A Rich Target for Caricature,” which is more contemporary, explores how the role of aviation is exploited in times of war. In short, the wings of humor are spread wide!
Exhibition: “Funny Flights—Caricatures of Aviation Experiences.” Through January 27, 2027. Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace du Bourget, Paris-Le Bourget Airport, 93352 Le Bourget.