The collection of the German Museum of Books and Writing has been enriched by a marvellous bequest: graphic designer and book illustrator Hans Ticha (b. 1940) has donated his entire pre-mortem estate, including numerous drafts and sketches, test prints and proofs of book illustrations, graphic designs, posters and protective covers. This pre-mortem legacy documents Ticha’s artistic career from 1959 to the present day. What makes this collection so special is the fact that it constitutes an almost complete testimony to the life and work of this artist, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2020.
Ticha is one of the most outstanding illustrators of modern times as well as the “GDR’s only pop artist”; moreover, he is an “eminently political thinker with a strong awareness of history” (FAZ). He has designed more than 150 books and bindings, mostly for major publishing companies. Stiftung Buchkunst (the Book Art Foundation) has acclaimed many of his works as “Best German Book Designs”, and they have also won numerous international prizes. When interpreting literary content, Ticha uses a wide range of graphic techniques and draws the reader into a cheerful yet ironic world full of ingenuous imagery.

The DBSM acquired the first graphic designs by Hans Ticha back in 2007 following an exhibition of his works.

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Pre-mortem legacy from Hans Ticha: Binding of the book Zimmer mit Frühstück [Room with Breakfast] by Cristoph Geiser

Pagination

: Offset lithography for Ernst Jandl …