Marc Sleen Museum

The Marc Sleen Museum was a Brussels museum dedicated to the Belgian comics artist Marc Sleen, creator of The Adventures of Nero, Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, and De Lustige Kapoentjes. Opened in 2009 at 33-35, rue des Sables/Zandstraat, directly across from the Belgian Comic Strip Center, it preserved and exhibited the work of one of Belgium's most prolific cartoonists. Despite its symbolic location and royal inauguration, the museum struggled with visitor numbers throughout its existence and closed permanently in 2024, with its collection subsequently integrated into the renamed Stripmuseum.

The museum's origins trace to Marc Sleen's retirement from his long-running series Nero in 2002. Sleen initially considered donating his collection to the Belgian Comic Strip Center, which opened across the street in 1989, but instead pursued an independent institution. Early plans through the Flemish Government, including proposals by then-Culture Minister Bert Anciaux to locate the museum in Turnhout or Hoeilaart, conflicted with Sleen's wishes. Brussels politician and Nero enthusiast Guy Vanhengel then advocated for the project in the Brussels Parliament, leading the Brussels-Capital Region to purchase the building. The museum opened on 19 June 2009 with Marc Sleen and King Albert II in attendance; the king was a lifelong Nero fan who had learned Dutch reading the series, as had his brother King Baudouin. The Marc Sleen Foundation initially managed the museum in partnership with the Belgian Comic Strip Center, but this collaboration ended in early 2018 when annual visitorship had fallen to approximately 3,000. Management passed to comics author Alec Severin and comics dealer Erik Deneyer, who achieved a notable increase to over 17,000 visitors in 2019, but this arrangement also dissolved in April 2020 due to disagreements. Regional subsidies were discontinued in 2022. In January 2023, closure was announced for autumn integration into the Belgian Comic Strip Center, by then renamed Stripmuseum. The Stripmuseum acquired the building in 2024 under favorable terms, with the condition of transforming it into Huis Marc Sleen for comics-related activities, while Sleen's drawing studio remained in the cellar. The Marc Sleen Foundation received final subsidies for 2024 and planned to cease operations after the sale, with the original drawings transferred to the King Baudouin Foundation.

The museum held a permanent exhibition on Marc Sleen's life and work, covering not only Nero but also Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, Oktaaf Keunink, and De Lustige Kapoentjes. Recurring themes in Sleen's output received dedicated attention: political cartoons, safari expeditions, and the Tour de France. The collection comprised approximately 15,000 original drawings, archived in the cellars and rotated through temporary exhibitions. The museum also highlighted Sleen's nature documentaries for the television program Allemaal Beestjes. A reconstructed version of Marc Sleen's actual studio was installed in the museum cellar in 2017. The institution additionally hosted temporary exhibitions and, from July 2020, ran the Knalgele Kubus, a workspace initiative for recent graduates of Sint-Lukas and Institut Saint-Luc, where visitors could observe artists at work.

Among the museum's distinctive holdings was the comic album Het Spook uit de Zandstraat, originally published in 1996, which was set in the very building that housed the museum. The museum reissued this album in 2009 with a new cover by Dirk Stallaert depicting the museum building in the background. The approximately 15,000 original drawings formed the core of the collection, with selections displayed in rotation. The reconstructed studio in the cellar provided insight into Sleen's working methods.

The museum occupied a building with layered architectural history at 33-35, rue des Sables/Zandstraat in Brussels. Originally designed in 1905 by architect Richard Pringiers for the newspaper Le Peuple, the structure was renovated in 1931 by architects Fernand Brunfaut and his son Maxime Brunfaut. The location carried symbolic weight: Marc Sleen had launched his cartooning career in 1947 working for De Nieuwe Gids, whose offices were on the same street, meaning his series were originally drawn there. The building stood directly opposite the Belgian Comic Strip Center, creating a concentrated comics district. The site was accessible via Brussels-Congress and Brussels-Central railway stations.

During its operation, the Marc Sleen Museum was located in the heart of Brussels at 33-35, rue des Sables/Zandstraat, served by Brussels-Congress and Brussels-Central railway stations. The museum offered a children's reading corner and sold comic book albums, including multilingual editions of Het Spook uit de Zandstraat for tourists. From 2011, it organized the Nerowandeling, a walking tour through Brussels connecting locations featured in the Nero albums: the Black Tower, Palace of Justice, Chapel Church, Sablon/Zavel, Central Station, Grand-Place/Grote Markt, and Manneken Pis. The museum closed permanently in 2024. Under the 2024 acquisition terms, the building was to become Huis Marc Sleen, dedicated to comics-related activities, with Marc Sleen's cellar studio preserved.