A good 20 years after his death, the city of Frankfurt appoints the final resting place of the caricaturist and satirist Chlodwig Poth in the Höchst cemetery and thus recognizes the memory of a great Frankfurt artist.
Chlodwig Poth is one of the great personalities who are closely connected to the city of Frankfurt. As a satirist and caricaturist, co-founder of the satirical magazines Pardon and Titanic as well as draftsman of the new Frankfurt school, he shaped the understanding of comedy in Germany and contributed significantly to turning the main metropolis into a satire capital of Germany. His “Last Exit Sossenheim” cartoon series published in Titanic made the Frankfurt district, where he himself lived from 1990, famous nationwide. To date, the memory of him has remained alive. Already in 2006 one of his favorite places was named after him. In the series of objects of comic art in the Frankfurt green belt, two image steles are reminiscent of the artist’s drawing work in the Chlodwig Poth facility and invite you to linger. Frankfurt’s head of culture Ina Hartwig: “Chlodwig Poth’s drawings are pointed and always have a second, third level. They stimulate to smile as well. His work has made a significant contribution to the fact that Frankfurt became a center of funny art, and I appreciate him as an artist and co -founder of the satire magazine Titanic. to maintain and maintain his grave permanently. “
The artistic estate of Chlodwig Poth is kept by the Caricatura Museum Frankfurt. There his work is part of the fixed repertoire in the collection exhibition, in 2010 last also with the exhibition “Poth for the World” on the artist’s 80th birthday. Martin Sonntag, head of the Caricatura Museum, welcomes the artist’s posthumous appreciation: “Honor, whom honor is desired. I am very happy about this recognition of an impressive life’s work through the city of Frankfurt. Chlodwig Poth was an extraordinary artist who has worked in the scene of strange art. Even today, many artists and artists refer to the work of the new. Frankfurt school and thus also on his contributions. “
Chlodwig Poth was born on April 4, 1930 in Wuppertal and grew up in Berlin-Tempelhof. He discovered the interest in caricatures early on and began to draw himself. The first drawings appeared in the young world after the Second World War, the FDJ’s central organ. From 1947 he studied at the University of Fine Arts. Because he had to leave this for political reasons, he continued his studies at the newly founded University of the Arts. He had his work expelled by the Frankfurt caricature service Fortuna early on. In 1955 he himself moved into the main metropolis and initially worked as an editor for the newspaper of the Dunlop works in Hanau. At the same time, he published humorous books at Frankfurter Verlag Bähreneier & Nikel.
In 1962, together with Hans A. Nikel and Hans Traxler, he founded the Satiremagazin Pardon, which was relocated to Frankfurt for two decades. Here he developed new satirical forms and gained great awareness with his series “My Progressive everyday life”, which satirically accompanied the 68 movement. Together with Robert Gernhardt, Pit Knorr, Hans Traxler and FK Waechter, Poth founded the satirical magazine Titanic, which was also published in Frankfurt in 1979. Together with FW Bernstein, Bernd Eilert and Eckhard Henscheid, this group soon operated under the name new Frankfurt School. Poth also published in other magazines and newspapers, for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, for example, the short reports drawn under the title “Frankfurter Federlese” from Frankfurt’s city life. In 1990 he moved to the Sossenheim district, which he remained connected until his death.
For his life’s work, he received the Göttinger Elch Satire Prize in 1997. The city of Frankfurt praised him in 2003 with the Goethe badge, in the same year the artist group was awarded the binding culture award. Chlodwig Poth died on July 8, 2004 and was buried on July 15, 2004 in the Höchst cemetery. (ffm)
