Loriot’s Legacy: A Permanent Collection in Frankfurt

Just in time for what would have been Loriot’s 102nd birthday,a important cultural event has unfolded. The entire artistic estate of Vicco von Bülow, known to the world as Loriot, is now on permanent loan to the Caricatura Museum Frankfurt.

The Museum of Comic Art previously honored Loriot’s 100th birthday with a major exhibition in 2023/2024. Now, Frankfurt’s head of cultural affairs, Ina Hartwig, and Caricatura Museum director Martin Sonntag have announced a major win for the museum and the city. Loriot’s artistic legacy will reside in the Museum of Comic Art on Weckmarkt.

“This is a truly cultural treasure,” Hartwig stated. “We recognise the trust the von Bülow family has placed in us and are deeply grateful. With that trust comes a significant obligation.”

Sonntag added, “This handover is a great honor for the Caricatura Museum and Frankfurt. The New frankfurt School and Loriot shared thematic connections, and bringing them together here is incredibly lucky.”

Since Loriot’s death in 2011, his estate remained at his studio and villa in Ammerland, on Lake Starnberg, where he lived and worked with his wife, rose-Marie. His youngest daughter, Susanne von Bülow, managed the property and estate from the studio until her passing in January 2025. The heirs ultimately decided to professionally archive the estate, choosing Frankfurt – a center for comic art – and the Caricatura Museum as its home. Museum director Martin Sonntag and collection manager Thomas Kronenberg viewed the estate in Ammerland during the summer months.

Working closely with the family and Till Kaposty-Bliss, the new managing director of Studio Loriot, the artistic legacy was carefully transferred to the museum’s archive. This includes original drawings, Loriot’s extensive record collection, and stage models from his opera productions. Personal items like his pipe collection, a box of intriguing keys, and the desk where he created his iconic cartoons are also part of the collection.