The German Museum of Books and Writing at the German National Library in Leipzig and the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt were both simultaneously presenting exhibitions on the wide-ranging network of correspondence maintained by illustrator Axel Scheffler (born 1957), both of which feature his many letter illustrations.

When friends of London-based Axel Scheffler receive mail from him, this invariably involves a small artwork, sometimes private, sometimes referring to current events.. The two exhibitions present a selection of envelopes illustrated and designed by the illustrator, as well as the illustrated responses he has received from his correspondents.

A testimony to close artistic friendships, some of them spanning decades (including Philip Waechter, Thomas M. Müller, Anke Kuhl and Julia Donaldson), the exhibits also show the artistic originality of the world-famous illustrator Axel Scheffler. At the same time, they stand as love letters to analogue correspondence. The exhibitions in Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig present a total of approx. 400 envelopes from an endless treasure trove of letters.

Axel Scheffler has illustrated some of the most popular children’s books, including “Der Grüffelo” (The Gruffalo) (1999) by British author Julia Donaldson. His books have been published in many different languages and his works exhibited around the world.
A joint exhibition by the German Museum of Books and Writing and the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt.

Under the title “... Schreib mal wieder! (Write again!) The Cultural History of Letters”, the German Museum of Books and Writing was also publishing a new virtual exhibition in the “Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital Library)”. The exhibition presents the early days of letter-writing and asks what went into a good letter in the 18th century. It tells strange stories and takes a look at the present and future of written communication.

In keeping with the exhibition, a richly illustrated volume edited by Jakob Hoffmann and Stephanie Jacobs was published by Péridot-Verlag, Cologne. The publication is available to purchase at the museum or from bookshops for EUR 16.99.