Almost every child in this country knows his illustrations: "Der Grüffelo", "Die Schnecke und der Buckelwal", "Räuber Ratte", "He Duda" - these are some of more than a hundred books Axel Scheffler has illustrated and with which he became world famous. "Der Grüffelo" (with author Julia Donaldson) is one of the best-selling children's books of all time. For his studies, Axel Scheffler moved from Hamburg to Great Britain in the early 1980s and has remained there to this day. To keep in touch with family and friends, a lively correspondence develops. The exhibition "Of Monsters, Mice and Men. Axel Scheffler's Fantastic Letter Pictures" shows a comprehensive selection of envelopes painted and designed by the draftsman, as well as selected graphic responses. With its 350 letter pictures, the exhibition makes a declaration of love to letter culture. But it also shows the artistic originality of Axel Scheffler.
Letter Correspondences
The special thing about the pen pals that Axel Scheffler has been cultivating for about forty years is that he designs the envelopes in a special way. Collages and illustrations are created. The illustrated letters created by Axel Scheffler in the last forty years can be considered an important part of his artistic work. In a small space, he takes liberties here that are not possible for him in this way with his book commissions. The motifs reflect private themes as well as contemporary events. The stamps carefully selected by Scheffler often play an important role in the design of the cover.
Traces of Transport
In addition to all these aspects, however, the exhibition also documents the traces left by the transport of this classic means of communication: Stamps, stains, creases, stickers are "ingredients" that arise when such works of art are delivered to a public mailbox.
On the right wall of the exhibition, there is a chronological overview of Scheffler's illustrated correspondences with some fifty different addressees. A collaged large image gathers some of Scheffler's memorable characters into a kind of class photo and invites visitors to find these characters again on the envelopes.
In conjunction with the exhibitions, the publication "Axel Scheffler: Verbriefte Freundschaft - illustrierte Briefumschläge" has been published. It is available in the museum store for 16,99 EUR.
