Manfred Deix
Manfred Deix
Caricature that isn’t biting, drastic, or edgy makes no sense to me. I have often been accused of poor taste and brutal humor. Who, if not a satirist, should call things out for what they are?
Multi-talent Manfred Deix was a graphic designer, cartoonist, and poet all-in-one. He used his art to provoke, shock, and shake up taboos like few Austrian artists before him. He took aim at celebrities, politicians, dignitaries, but also at barflies or the neighbor next door. Deix’s works have been published in magazines and newspapers such as Profil, Trend, Spiegel, Stern, Playboy, Die Zeit, Titanic, and News. The artist’s popularity is evidenced by countless solo exhibitions and publications, the inclusion of the term Deixfigur in the Duden dictionary, as well as Austria’s first fully animated feature film ROTZBUB—der DEIX Film (2021). Manfred Deix is one of the founding fathers of the Karikaturmuseum Krems. A permanent presentation is dedicated to the Austrian caricaturist with the museum’s own Deix Archive.
A life in numbers (by year): highlights from the biography of Manfred Deix
1949
Manfred Deix was born in Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria. He grew up in Sankt Pölten and later in Böheimkirchen, where his parents ran the “Zur blauen Weintraube” inn.
1955
First sales of Nackertzeichnungen (nude drawings) to his classmates (at a price of ten-to-fifteen groschen each)
1960
First comic strip series published weekly in the St. Pölten church newspaper
1965
Enrolled in the Höhere Graphische Bundes-Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, Vienna, together with Josef Bramer, Gottfried Helnwein, and Bernhard Paul
1968
Started studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (dropped out in 1975)
1972
First published works in the magazines Profil, Trend, and Economy
1978
Covers and drawings for the periodicals Stern, Der Spiegel, Pardon, Tempo, Titanic, Playboy, and Die Zeit; advertising posters for the cigarette brand Casablanca
1984
Marriage to Marietta in Las Vegas; first personal contact with the Beach Boys in Los Angeles
1987
Designed the “Palace of the Winds” facade for the Luna Luna traveling fair conceived by André Heller, involving international artists such as Joseph Beuys, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sonia Delaunay, David Hockney, and Keith Haring.
Designed a poster for Bertolt Brecht’s play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Vienna Burgtheater
1988
Awarded the Nestroy Ring by the City of Vienna
1990
Designed the masks for the premiere of Ernst Krenek’s opera Kehraus um St. Stephan at the Wien Modern festival
1995
Gold record certification for the CD Musik aus Ameriga featuring cover versions of the Beach Boys (Deix and the Good Vibrations Band, text and vocals: Manfred Deix, guest singer: Lukas Resetarits)
From this year on, he created weekly cartoons for the magazine News
1999
Designed fourteen images for the 1,600-square-meter facade of the Graz City Hall
Performed live on stage at the Vienna Donauinselfest with the Beach Boys (three songs)
2000
Awarded the Cultural Prize of the City of Klosterneuburg
2001
Opening of the Karikaturmuseum Krems, where revolving exhibitions of Deix’s work are presented henceforth. First meeting with US artist Robert Crumb, one of the most important illustrators of the global underground comics movement
2005
Awarded the Golden Medal of Honor of the State of Vienna
2009
Conferred the professional title of professor
2016
Manfred Deix died on June 25 at the age of sixty-seven following a serious illness; he lived in Klosterneuburg with his wife Marietta along with, at various points, over eighty cats until the end of his life. 2017 Opening of the Deix archive featuring annotated versions of his original works (revolving annually) at the Karikaturmuseum Krems
2021
Screening of the Austrian-German animated film ROTZBUB—the DEIX film (directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller and Santiago López Jover), based on the life of Manfred Deix and his cosmos of characters.
Numerous books, television portraits, and exhibitions: Galerie am Chamissoplatz, Berlin; Museum Wilhelm Busch, Hanover; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; Stadtmuseum Ludwigshafen; Kunst Haus Wien; Kunsthaus Köflach; Museum für Komische Kunst—Caricatura Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main; Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen; Werner Berg Museum, Bleiburg; Galerie OstLicht, Vienna