Franz Xaver Messerschmidt: More Than Character Heads (Belvedere, Vienna)
Georg Lechner, Stella Rollig, Katharina Lovecky, et al.
Belvedere Vienna & Walter und Franz König, 2025
€34,90
Grotesque, ambiguous, fascinating: the “Character Heads” by German/Austrian sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736-1783) are world-famous, yet remain enigmatic to this day. This publication offers a re-evaluation, recognizing in them reflections of an enlightened age. Since the 20th century, Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” have repeatedly been interpreted from a psychopathological perspective, as studies of emotions or even as the products of a mentally disturbed artist. What is often overlooked is that the sculptor’s work was a response to the social and scientific upheavals of the 18th century. This publication re-examines the “Character Heads” within the context of the contemporary preoccupation with facial expressions and physiognomy, considering them as phenomena of their era, shaped by the ideas of the Enlightenment.
ISBN: 9783753309064
