Argentinian comic artist José Muñoz (*1942) tells stories in stark black and white contrasts - from drastic crime stories about detective Alack Sinner to a sensitive biography of jazz legend Billie Holiday. Originals, sketches and colour works show him in a comprehensive retrospective. With their hardboiled stories in stark black and white contrasts about the private detective and ex-policeman Alack Sinner, Argentinian-born comic artist Muñoz and his compatriot, author Carlos Sampayo (*1943), have created a milestone in comic history. Having emigrated to Spain in the early 1970s, Muñoz, who was educated in Buenos Aires, met Sampayo in Barcelona, who had also left Argentina for political reasons - the country was suffering from military dictatorships at the time. Together they created the anti-hero Alack Sinner - "the sinner" - who at first glance fulfils all the clichés of his profession: violent, melancholic, lonely, addicted to alcohol. But the series, which was launched in 1975 and continued for decades, goes far beyond the typical genre boundaries. It interweaves classic crime stories with sharp social criticism - of racism and corruption, for example - and makes reference to political events such as the Vietnam War or the attacks of 11 September. Muñoz's drawing style is uncompromising: deep black and white, no hatching or shading. The figures alternate between almost realistic depiction and grotesque caricature - a tense interplay of nightmare and reality. In addition to the Sinner series, he also created other works such as "Joe's Bar" and "Sophie Going South", which deal with serious topics such as racism, crime and drug problems with laconic humour. Later works by Muñoz reflect his longing for the multicultural lifestyle of Buenos Aires; they sensitively tell of the pampas, the tango and his love of jazz.
The extensive retrospective shows original drawings from the comic classics, preliminary studies, illustrations, portraits and current free works in colour - works by an artist who has been awarded the prestigious Grand Prix of the Comic Festival in Angoulême, among others. Vernissage: 27.3.2026, 18.30 hrs Press talk: Thursday, 26.3.2026, 11 hrs Curator: Anette Gehrig