LA CITE INTERNATIONALE DE LA BANDE DESSINEE ET DE L IMAGE

For over 40 years, Angoulême has undertaken numerous initiatives to promote comics and visual arts, the most high-profile of which is undoubtedly the International Comics Festival, which transforms the city of Angoulême into the world capital of the Ninth Art for four days at the end of January. To ensure the sustainability of these initiatives and provide them with a solid foundation, local authorities decided to create and fund a major public cultural cooperation establishment: the International City of Comics and Visual Arts (Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image) is the result of close collaboration between the Charente department, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the city of Angoulême, and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The City comprises a museum, exhibition spaces, a heritage library, a specialized public library, an international artists' residency (the Maison des auteurs), a leading bookstore, a multimedia technical support center, a two-screen art house and research cinema, a seminar and conference center, and a panoramic brasserie. Spread across three majestic buildings bordering or overlooking the river, it is located at the heart of the major image hub that has developed in Charente, providing it with documentary and technological comfort and contributing to its national and international renown.