Asterix creator's artwork raises 4,00,000 pounds for health workers

French cartoonist and author Albert Uderzo died from heart failure linked to COVID-19 in March aged 92. Pic/AFP

Four original drawings by the creator of Asterix the Gaul sold Tuesday for nearly 400,000 euros to benefit Paris hospitals. Albert Uderzo, who invented the plucky hero who gleefully took on Roman legions, died from heart failure linked to the coronavirus in March at the age of 92.

His widow Ada said the charity auction was a way of thanking "our new heroes who have resisted the invader," a reference to the virus that has killed over 28,000 people in France. The four original cartoons sold for €3,90,000 ($4,26,000), the auction house Artcurial told AFP.

The drawings - which included images from the relatively recent adventures, "Asterix and the Secret Weapon" and "Asterix and Obelix All At Sea" - were donated to the Paris hospitals trust by the artist's widow and daughter. Ada and her daughter Sylvie wanted "to join with whole nation in paying tribute to French hospital staff".

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