Hérault Trait Libre

From 15th to 17th of November 2012, pierresvives is set to host an international event. The first ever press illustration festival will welcome 30 illustrators from 17 different countries.

The Conseil général de l’Hérault (Hérault County Council),  the Club de la presse de Montpellier (Montpellier Press Club) and the Cartooning for peace association, chaired by the illustrator of French newspaper Le Monde, Plantu, will organise the Hérault Trait Libre festival as a joint venture.

For a long time committed to fighting for freedom of the press, Hérault county aims to celebrate an art genre too often considered as beneath the rest: press illustration.
Journalists in their own right, press illustrators often pay a high price for their freedom of expression. Executed in Libya, tortured in Syria…even in France, with the fire bombing of the Charlie Hebdo offices, many attempts are made to intimidate the press.
Their courage and their ability to make us think and laugh are just a few things that really deserve being celebrated!