A modern exhibition featuring the work of German cartoonist Til Mette opened at the Historisches Museum Bielefeld on September 3, 2023, and ran until February 29, 2024. Titled “Das muss eine Demokratie aushalten!” (“That’s what a democracy has to withstand!”), the show presents over 130 cartoons and paintings, compiled specifically for the Bielefeld venue.
Mette, born in Bielefeld in 1956, has been a regular contributor to the German weekly news magazine Stern since 1995, producing weekly, full-page cartoons. His work often focuses on contemporary social and political issues, employing a sharp and humorous style. He also regularly publishes cartoons in the Bremer Weser-Kurier.
The exhibition showcases a broad range of Mette’s artistic output, from humorous cartoons to more serious artistic explorations of current events. According to the museum, the collection offers “an entertaining journey through German society and culture of the present.”
Mette’s work has been recognized with multiple German cartoon and caricature awards, including the Thomas-Nast-Preis in 2022. Beyond his cartooning, Mette is also an active painter, creating large-format paintings in his Hamburg studio. He has expressed concern about increasing attacks on political cartoonists and their work, viewing this as a threat to liberal society.
Til Mette’s brother, Veit Mette, is a photographer. Mette has published several books, including “Meine Welt” (My World) from 2006, “Dr. Doktor” (Dr. Doctor) from 2007, “Papa, wann sind wir da?” (Dad, when will we be there?) from 2008, “Ist er nicht ein feuchter Traum?” (Isn’t he a wet dream?) from 2010, “Stimmts Baby” (Is that right, baby?) from 2012, “Meister der komischen Kunst” (Master of Comic Art) from 2013, and “Guter Sex wär auch nicht schlecht” (Quality Sex Wouldn’t Hurt Either) from 2014. He also published “Til Mette erklärt die ganze bekloppte Welt am Beispiel von Tiercartoons” (Til Mette explains the whole crazy world using animal cartoons) in 2015 and “Cartoons für die moralische Elite mit Bildung, Geld & gutem Geschmack” (Cartoons for the moral elite with education, money & good taste) in 2018.
Mette lived in New York with his wife and two daughters from 1992, becoming a US citizen during that time, before returning to Hamburg in 2006. He describes Bielefeld as his “quasi emotional home.”
