Past exhibition

Bizarre, cheeky, loud or subtle - Beethoven can be all of these things when seen through the glasses of creative illustrators and caricaturists. Even during his lifetime, the great composer was almost as popular a person as his music, and ideas - often distorted by anecdotes - of his unconventional appearance, his artistry and his character was widespread among the public.

Thus, the first caricatures of him were created early on. However, interest in this type of depiction only really blossomed at the beginning of the 20th century. The quantity and variety of funny pictures published since then is now almost unmanageable, especially since the possibilities of disseminating original ideas have increased with the advent of digital media and animated video clips have been added to the picture strip.

In the cheerful special exhibition that the Beethoven-Haus Bonn is showing from 11 May to 21 August 2023, we offer an insight into this rich material. In doing so, we draw a bow from examples from the time before World War 2 to the comics of the 1950s and 1960s to irreverent caricatures created at the end of the 20th century and up to the recent present. But graphic novels, funny picture books and short films from all over the world will also be on display. With its large and small exhibits, our show invites visitors to the museum to marvel and laugh - and to dare to take a slightly different look at Beethoven for once.