IN FOCUS: FRANZ VON POCCI – FANTASY AND MOCKERY

Franz Graf von Pocci (1807-1876) was not just a master of ceremonies, Hofmusikintendant and the inventor of the puppet character Kasperl Larifari, but also an almost obsessive illustrator. ‘And if I had a hundred hands / with castles I’d never find an end!’ reads one of his verses about his passion of always allowing his visual imagination to roam free. He typically drew imaginary landscapes or created illustrations for his texts, but was just as happy lampooning his bureaucratic or artistic colleagues with unerring mischievousness through caricature. The historical collections of the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München were recently enriched by a significant donation of 82 of Pocci’s drawings. This donation serves as the impetus for a small exhibition documenting how important this kind of private engagement is for the continued evolution of our collections.