«IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE AND IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE»- ANDY WARHOL

PARIS (AFP) — Original comic book artwork, from the boy adventurer Tintin to the cowboy Lucky Luke, is breaking into the European fine art market, fetching ever higher prices at auction, experts say.

A 1932 oil painted for by the Belgian author Herge for the cover of "Tintin in America" is the star item at a one-off sale of 650 comic originals Saturday in Paris, with a starting price of 280,000 euros (440,000 dollars)."A museum piece. Sublime," writes the Artcurial gallery and auction house, which is organising the sale, in its catalogue. The Tintin is expected to beat the world record set last year by Yugoslav-born French science fiction artist Enki Bilal with an illustration from his 1994 work "Blue Blood", which sold for 177,000 euros.