Miguel Díaz Vizoso. De La Louvière à Peyo

Some stories begin at the foot of a sculpture, in an ordinary neighbourhood of a Belgian town. For Miguel Díaz Vizoso, it all started there, in La Croyère, close to Ianchelevici's L'Appel, that great bronze figure at the base of which he used to kick a ball around with his friends. Decades later, that same work becomes the central thread of an exhibition dedicated entirely to him.

The Mill in La Louvière hosts "From La Louvière to Peyo" from 22 March to 10 August 2025 — an intimate retrospective on the journey of an artist who grew up in the city before conquering bookshop shelves worldwide, Smurfs album in hand.

A collective tribute to L'Appel

For the occasion, Miguel Díaz Vizoso invited around twenty fellow artists to each create an original illustration of Ianchelevici's sculpture. Batem, Walthéry, Yoann, Clarke, Dany, Turk, Serge Ernst, Jeroen De Coninck and many others took up the challenge. An entire room is dedicated to their work, reflecting the quiet solidarity that binds comic book authors together.

From educator to Smurfs artist

Miguel Díaz Vizoso's path was anything but straightforward. After ten years working as a carer at a special needs institute, it was in 1996 that he showed his drawings to Vittorio Leonardo, a teacher at the Châtelet Fine Arts Academy. Miguel then knocked on the door of Studio Peyo. They opened it in 1999. He never left.

The exhibition traces this adventure: the inner workings of the studio, the day-to-day life of a comic artist, and as a quiet nod, a panel from The Smurfs and the Magic Cape pays tribute to the sculpture that shaped his childhood.

Behind the scenes of an album

The highlight of the exhibition is a deep dive into the creative process behind The Magic Cape: from the first pencil sketches to the finished original pages, including the collaboration with scriptwriter Alain Jost and colourist Sylvaine Scomazzon.

The book

A publication accompanies the exhibition, with a preface by Hugues Dayez, journalist and Peyo specialist. It takes the form of a conversation between Miguel Díaz Vizoso and his fellow artist Philippe Decressac. Price: €8

Practical information