In 2018, Alec Severin made a retro version of Spirou & Fantasio (Robbedoes en Kwabbernoot) with four short stories in the style of the Grand Masters Jijé and André Franquin. Severin, who left school aged sixteen to become a comic illustrator, had already drawn praise with his comics Lisette and Harry. But 2018 was memorable for another reason too; from 17 November 2018 until the corona crisis in March 2020, Severin worked as a receptionist in the Marc Sleen Museum. And not just a receptionist, but an ‘artist in residence’ who could showcase his work ‘live’ to an audience. Severin took good care of Marc Sleen’s figures by applying his characteristic style to pay tribute to Sleen’s creation Nero. The result is a dazzling blend of drawings, sketches and interpretations, a selection of which can be seen in this exhibition, side-by-side with the work of Grand Master Sleen himself.