Editing History of Belgium (section)

=== Art and culture ===
[[File:Godshuis Boeveriestraat.JPG|thumb|right|A historic street in Belgium]]
The [[Expressionism]] painting movement found a distinctive form in Flanders under artists like [[James Ensor]], [[Constant Permeke]] and [[Léon Spilliaert]]. Belgian [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] art grew during the inter-war period, including works by [[René Magritte]] and [[Paul Delvaux]].

[[Franco-Belgian comics|Comic strips]] became extremely popular in Belgium during the 1930s. One of the most popular comics of the 20th century, [[Hergé]]'s ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'' first appeared in 1929.

[[Belgian comics]] are a distinct subgroup in the comics history, and played a major role in the development of [[European comics]], alongside France with whom they share a long common history. While the comics in the two major language groups and regions of Belgium (Flanders with the Dutch language and Wallonia with French) each have clearly distinct characteristics, they are constantly influencing one another, and meeting each other in Brussels and in the bilingual publication tradition of the major editors. As one of the few arts where Belgium has had an international and enduring impact in the 20th century, comics are known to be "an integral part of Belgian culture". Major contributors include [[Hergé]] with [[The Adventures of Tintin]], [[Dupuis]] with [[Spirou (magazine)|Spirou]], [[Willy Vandersteen]] with [[Spike and Suzy|Suske en Wiske]], [[Bessy (comics)|Bessy]], [[De Rode Ridder]], [[Robert en Bertrand]] and many others, [[Marc Sleen]] with [[The Adventures of Nero]], [[Peyo]] with [[The Smurfs]], [[Jef Nys]] with [[Jommeke]], and so many more.

Sales of comic books make up 14% of all book sales in Belgium's northern region of Flanders.

Belgium has played a major role in the development of the 9th art. In fact, even the designation of comics as the 9th Art is due to a Belgian. Morris introduced the term in 1964 when he started a series about the history of comics in Spirou. Belgium's comic-strip culture has been called by Time magazine "Europe's richest", while the Calgary Sun calls Belgium "the home of the comic strip". Belgium has several museums dedicated to comic books, comic book heroes and their authors.

The growth of comic strips was also accompanied by a popular art movement, exemplified by [[Edgar P. Jacobs]], [[Jijé]], [[Willy Vandersteen]] and [[André Franquin]].