Hugo Pratt's 18,000-volume library opens to public in Swiss hotel
The personal library of Hugo Pratt, creator of Corto Maltese, has been relocated to the Villars Palace hotel in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. Over 18,000 volumes, previously stored in Pratt's villa in Grandvaux, were transported on 32 pallets to seven rooms on the hotel's ground floor. The library recreates the original arrangement from Pratt's home, including sections on Native Americans, the sea, Venice, Africa, travel, religion, esotericism, literature, comics, cinema, and music. The collection was cataloged during Pratt's lifetime and is now freely accessible to comic enthusiasts and scholars by appointment. Official visits begin next summer, coinciding with an exhibition in the hotel corridors. The project involved Marco Steiner, Didier Platteau, and Michel Pierre. Patrizia Zanotti of Cong, which manages Pratt's rights, stated the library had been in storage for years and the hotel's offer provided a fitting home.
Key facts
- 18,000 volumes from Hugo Pratt's personal library are now accessible at Villars Palace hotel in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland.
- The library was moved from Pratt's villa in Grandvaux, where it had been stored since his death in 1995.
- Books were transported on 32 pallets and arranged in seven rooms on the ground floor of the hotel.
- The library replicates the original order and division from Pratt's home, including sections on Native Americans, the sea, Venice, Africa, travel, religion, esotericism, literature, comics, cinema, and music.
- The collection was cataloged by a specialized company while Pratt was still alive.
- Visits will begin in summer 2022, with an exhibition opening concurrently in the hotel corridors.
- Key figures involved include Marco Steiner, Didier Platteau, and Michel Pierre.
- Patrizia Zanotti, managing director of Cong, confirmed the hotel's owners showed sensitivity and passion for Pratt.
Entities
Artists
- Hugo Pratt
Institutions
- Cong
- Villars Palace
- Rizzoli Lizard
- Nuages
Locations
- Villars-sur-Ollon
- Switzerland
- Grandvaux
- Vaud
- Rimini
- Venice
- Malta
- Siviglia