The “Eternauta” Legend

Héctor Germán Oesterheld’s “El Eternauta” from 1956 was one of the most famous comic series in Argentina. As a writer and publisher, Oesterheld contributed to making the genre appealing to a wide segment of the country’s adult readers in the 1950s and 60s. “El Eternauta” and his other comics played an integral role in the development of the so-called “Argentine model”, which greatly influenced the European comic scene in later years. “El Eternauta” is a science-fiction story which seemingly foretells the rise of Argentina’s future military dictatorship, and to a certain extent, anticipates the trauma which the country continues to struggle with to this day. H.G. Oesterheld himself went underground in the 1970s to fight against the military regime, but was eventually abducted and murdered. The exhibition by the Literaturhaus Stuttgart focused on “El Eternauta” – a work which many regard as world literature. The show included background information on the history of the Oesterheld family and the fate of Germans who disappeared during the Argentine military dictatorship. The project was conceived as a touring exhibition and presented in several languages.

Project director: Erwin Krottenthaler
Artistic director: Anna Kemper
Artistic advisor /exhibition concept development: Johann Ulrich