Caricature Takes Flight at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace

The Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget presents its first-ever exhibition on press cartoons, 'Drôles de vols – caricaturer les expériences aériennes,' running from June 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Co-curated by Marion Paupert and Julie Ulloa, the show features works by Honoré Daumier, Cham, Reiser, Coco, Riss, and Tomi Ungerer, spanning from the first balloon flights in 1783 to contemporary political satire. The exhibition explores how caricature has reflected public fascination and anxiety about aviation, from mocking early balloon crashes to using humor to demystify technology. During World War I, cartoons valorized French heroes while depicting German Zeppelins as Frankfurt sausages to exorcise fear of bombings. Later works critiqued the disconnect between elites and the masses. Paupert notes that caricature offers a way to question how we inhabit the world and laugh at what disturbs us.