Martin Perscheid

Martin Perscheid (16 February 1966 – 31 July 2021) was a German cartoonist. He created a main character in 1994, who appeared from 1998 under the title Perscheids Abgründe (Perscheid's abysses). More than 4,300 strips appeared in several German newspapers and magazines. He is known for his "fearless glimpses into human abysses of sexism, racism, ignorance, corruption and stupidity, captured with black humour."[1]

Martin Perscheid
Perscheid at 2019 CCXP in Cologne
Born(1966-02-16)16 February 1966
Wesseling, Germany
Died31 July 2021(2021-07-31) (aged 55)
Wesseling, Germany
OccupationCartoonist
Known forPerscheids Abgründe
AwardsMax & Moritz Prize
Websitewww.martin-perscheid.de

Life

Perscheid was born in Wesseling on 16 February 1966, where he lived and worked until his death.[2] He was trained as a lithograph designer.[3] Perscheid was married and had two children[4] but at the time of his death he was in a relationship with fellow cartoonist Nadia Menze.[5] Perscheid died on 31 July 2021 after a long battle with cancer.[6][7]

Born to a Catholic family, Perscheid soon became an atheist and humanist which influenced his work significantly.[8] From 2020 to his death, he was a member of the board of advisers of the Giordano Bruno Foundation, a German non-profit organization that promotes evolutionary humanism and enlightenment.[8]

Cartoons

Perscheid's drawing style has been compared to that of Gary Larson.[3] His themes are usually satirical, not avoiding taboo subjects, and often including black comedy.[9] His series were in an unchanged upright format framed black, drawn with sparse lines and unerring punch line delivery ("mit zielsicherer Pointenführung").[10]

His works have been published in various German newspapers and magazines.[2] In 1994, he joined the Lappan Verlag, and remained with the house until his death.[11] He then created his main character, a bald, bespectacled man, and a stand-in for Perscheid himself.[3] His series around the character was named Perscheids Abgründe (Perscheid's Abysses) in 1996.[10] He created over 4,300 strips.[7][1] He published his first book in 1995.[12] In his career, he published over 25 books with cartoons.[13]

Awards and legacy

Perscheid's cartoons have been presented in museums, including a show of the Caricatura museum in Kassel and the Museum der niederrheinischen Seele in 2017.[10]

He received many awards for his work, including the Max & Moritz Prize 2002 for the best Cartoon Series in German, as well as the "Kulturplakette" (Culture Award) from his hometown of Wesseling.[10][14] The Caricatura museum honoured him by a sculpture of his cartoon character, named Der unbekannte Idiot (The unknown idiot).[1]

His publisher, Carlsen Verlag, wrote in an obituary: "His fearlessness of glimpses into human abysses of sexism, racism, ignorance, corruption and stupidity, and how he captured all this in cartoons with biting derision and black humour, was unique."[1]

References
  1. "Sein "unbekannter Idiot" blickt über Kassel / Trauer um Karikaturisten Martin Perscheid". hessenschau.de (in German). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  2. "Der Cartoonist Martin Perscheid ist tot". NDR (in German). 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  3. "Kulleraugen auf Langnasen". nachrichten.at (in German). Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. "Einer der besten und populärsten Zeichner der Komischen Kunst". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  5. "Trauer um Martin Perscheid: Lebensgefährtin findet emotionale Abschiedsworte". web.de News (in German). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  6. "Der Cartoonist Martin Perscheid ist tot". NDR (in German). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  7. "Martin Perscheid: Bekannter deutscher Cartoonist gestorben". Der Spiegel (in German). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  8. Hinz, Ricarda (5 August 2021). "Der Großmeister der komischen Kunst". www.giordano-bruno-stiftung.de (in German). Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  9. "Mit Perscheid in die "Abgründe" des Alltags: Cartoon-Serie feiert 20. Geburtstag". Mindener Tageblatt. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  10. "Martin Perscheid : Abgründe". 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  11. "Martin Perscheid" (in German). Carlsen Verlag. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  12. "Cartoonist Martin Perscheid ist tot". www.t-online.de (in German). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  13. "Cartoon-Ausstellung in Köln: Martin Perscheid präsentiert seine bekannten Werke". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). 3 April 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  14. "Perscheids Abgründe". Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
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