Leonardo has a birthday to celebrate! Fifty years ago, this singular character made his first appearance in the pages of Achille talon magazine. Even back then, the colour of his hair and the length of his beard were indications of advanced age. Age did nothing, however, to limit the energy of our eccentric genius. Way ahead of his time, Leonardo was forever inventing things, failing in some, succeeding in others' underlining, all the while, the absurdity of his contemporaries.

The inventor was soon joined by Basile, his undisciplined disciple, a person more in favour of sleeping than eager for knowledge. Then came Raoul the cat, Bernadette the mouse, Yorick the skull and Leonardo's tireless maid, Mathurine, followed most recently by Mozzarella, his adoptive daughter? Throughout the pages of the 56 albums published to date, in this world unto itself, centred on the genius's home town of Vinci, the rhythm and the humour are brilliantly sustained.

Leonardo, a cult series if ever there was one, draws on the boundless imagination of scriptwriters Bob de Groot and (from volume 47) Zidrou and comics illustrator Turk (plain and simple). The authors' delight in inventing these stories is evident from every panel and every page and continues to be shared by generation after generation of readers.

This retrospective exhibition offers viewers the chance to admire a previously unseen selection of original plates taken from the first 26 albums, the rest was then done completely digitally, and also to discover, or rediscover, illustrations that have served as book or magazine covers, together with a few surprises. It offers a joyous immersion in the brilliant (and slightly mad) universe of Leonardo the inventor and is an experience absolutely not to be missed!