Seven facts Manfred Deix
Manfred Deix is known as the enfant terrible of the caricature scene, the founding father of the Karikaturmuseum Krems, and one of the biggest fans of the Beach Boys. Our seven facts about the exceptional artist will intrigue you.Seven intriguing facts about Manfred Deix
Manfred Deix is known as the enfant terrible of the caricature scene, the founding father of the Karikaturmuseum Krems, and one of the biggest fans of the Beach Boys. Manfred Deix was also a gifted poet, ranks among world-famous artists such as Salvador Dalí, and was not only a passionate smoker, but also had a big heart for animals. Our seven facts about the exceptional artist will intrigue you.
1. Up to eighty cats
Dapperly dressed dogs or underwater dwellers like the Walisische Wangenwelsin (Welsh Cheeked Catfish): Manfred Deix’s love of animals is on display in many of his caricatures. Cats and tomcats in particular appear frequently in his work. The exceptional artist shared his home with up to eighty of these furry friends throughout his life. One of his favorite cats, Konrad, was the inspiration for his famous Katzenkönig character.
2. Practice makes perfect, but the panties stayed on
Deix’s talent for drawing was evident even as a youngster. As a six-year-old, the Lower Austrian caused a stir by selling his first “nude drawings” to his classmates. At the age of nine, he created a flip book of a woman undressing. “She kept her panties on,” Deix later revealed, “because I didn’t know how it looked underneath.” Two years later, the young Deix was excluded from an ORF drawing competition. The reason given was that the broadcaster wanted “drawings by children, not by adults or professionals.” In the same year, the Austrian caricaturist published his first cartoons in the St. Pölten church newspaper.
3. Student days with Gottfried Helnwein and Bernhard Paul
In 1965, Manfred Deix enrolled at the Höhere Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna, which he attended together with (future renowned) artist Gottfried Helnwein, painter Josef Bramer, and circus director Bernhard Paul. Deix often skipped classes. This led to his expulsion from school, bringing his studies to an early end.
4. Collaboration with Joseph Beuys, Salvador Dalí, and Keith Haring
In the 1980s, André Heller developed the avant-garde amusement park Luna Luna, which was inspired by the Vienna Prater. Selected artists from all over the world helped design the complex based on the theme “A beautiful pleasure.” Participating artists included Georg Baselitz, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joseph Beuys, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delaunay, Keith Haring, Rebecca Horn, and Roland Topor—and Manfred Deix. The Austrian caricaturist created the facade for the “Palace of the Winds” pavilion. “Flatulists” performed in the palace accompanied by classical music. Luna Luna was reopened in Los Angeles in 2023, with the backing of rapper Drake and others.
5. Manfred Deix in the Duden dictionary
The term Deixfigur (Deix figure) is defined as a “caricature or ridiculously distorted depiction of a person,” or at least this is the official Duden dictionary definition of it. That Manfred Deix made it into the dictionary is a sensation. In any case, we only know of one Austrian artist who has achieved this honor.
6. Beach Boys fan CD
You might already know that Manfred Deix was a huge fan of the Beach Boys. Did you also know that Deix released the CD Musik aus Ameriga in 1995 featuring cover versions of the band? The caricaturist wrote and sang the lyrics himself. Lukas Resetarits was involved as a guest singer. The CD became a gold record.
7. Manfred Deix on the big screen
“What would Manfred Deix have said about that?” is something we often hear when it comes to contemporary scandals. The outstanding artist would certainly have had something to say with an incisive pen, and not a little given the sizable number of scandals. ;-) That the founding father of the Karikaturmuseum Krems still has an impact on things today is also evidenced by ROTZBUB—the DEIX Film. The first Austrian, feature-length, animated film was inspired by Deix’s youth and his characters. Produced by Josef Aichholzer, the film celebrated its Austrian premiere in 2021 at the Karikaturmuseum Krems.