The Caricatura Gallery in Kassel, Germany, is set to open its highly anticipated 'Best Pictures 2025' exhibition on Friday, showcasing the year's finest cartoons and satirical artwork. The exhibition serves as both a visual year-in-review and the official showcase for the 'Best Pictures 2025' book, culminating in the prestigious German Cartoon Prize ceremony scheduled for January 9, 2026.
Gallery director Saskia Wagner has been meticulously preparing the exhibition with her team for the past month, carefully curating which pieces will be displayed on the 200-square-meter exhibition space in Kassel's Cultural Railway Station. Wagner, who also serves on the prize jury, explains that the competition is open to all artists, with the only requirement being that submissions must be works created in 2025.
This year's cartoons prominently feature two political figures: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Wagner notes that Trump generated an exceptionally high number of submissions, demonstrating how it's possible to 'caricature a caricature of a politician.' Other major themes reflected in the artwork include the collapse of Germany's traffic light coalition government, papal elections, climate change, and the 'advance of right-wing politics.'
One particularly striking example Wagner highlights is a cartoon by artist Beck, depicting an elderly woman confronting her trusted baker about her rising trade deficit, saying 'I buy everything from you, you buy nothing from me. This can't continue.' This piece exemplifies how current political issues are translated into everyday situations that resonate with ordinary people.
The exhibition will display only half of the cartoons that made it into the book from approximately 4,500 submissions - essentially the 'very best of the best pictures,' as Wagner describes them. She uses specialized architectural software to create a 3D model of the exhibition hall, allowing her to digitally arrange and rearrange artworks to achieve the perfect visual combination. This meticulous process often keeps her working late into the evening, as she admits to 'getting lost in the preparation and being unable to let go.'
The Caricatura exhibition enjoys an excellent reputation among cartoonists, and being featured here is considered a significant honor in a genre where artists typically work in isolation with limited feedback. The visual year-in-review has also proven popular with visitors, with approximately 10,000 people viewing last year's exhibition. Wagner notes that the diverse audience finds the show particularly liberating during years marked by negative news, as it offers a fresh perspective on world events that can provide moments of relieving laughter.
Visitors to the exhibition can participate by voting for their favorite cartoon, as the gallery simultaneously awards a Public Choice Prize alongside the German Cartoon Prize. Wagner considers this award particularly special because artists are selected by the very people they aim to reach. Last year, approximately 1,500 votes were cast, demonstrating strong visitor engagement with the selection process.
For Wagner, a literature studies graduate who has always been fascinated by the relationship between words and images, cartoon drawing serves a therapeutic function. 'It's a way of dealing with the madness of the world,' she explains, noting that many cartoonists are highly political individuals who use their art to express positions and demonstrate their stance on current issues.
The gallery is committed to nurturing emerging talent through its Summer Academy for Comic Art, established in 2007 in collaboration with Caricatura Frankfurt and the satirical magazine Titanic. This week-long workshop allows aspiring artists to 'draw their fingers raw' under professional guidance while learning practical skills about navigating the market, contacting publishers and editorial offices, and understanding the rights and responsibilities of professional illustrators. Wagner emphasizes the importance of this program since satirical content is rarely taught in educational systems or universities.
The Caricatura has operated as a nonprofit organization since the early 1980s, initially renting temporary spaces before establishing permanent exhibition rooms 30 years ago. The gallery became a founding member of Kassel's Cultural Railway Station when it opened in 1995 - Germany's first railway station with a cultural focus. The organization operates with a core team of six people, plus additional staff for security, management, retail, and marketing, totaling 18 to 20 individuals who keep the gallery running.
Since 2021, the German Cartoon Prize has been awarded in Kassel with support from the CDW Foundation, making the city unique in Germany for hosting two significant awards in the field of comedy. Kassel is also home to the Literature Prize for Grotesque Humor, awarded by the Brückner-Kühner Foundation.
Wagner proudly refers to Kassel as the 'original Caricatura,' distinguishing it from the Frankfurt location, which operates as an independent municipal museum led by Martin Sonntag, the former director of Caricatura Kassel. While both locations maintain close collaboration, Frankfurt focuses primarily on the New Frankfurt School artist group and the satirical magazine 'Titanic,' while Kassel concentrates on nurturing 'young talents.'
The gallery actively participates in Kassel's cultural scene, recently collaborating with the Literature House and Brückner-Kühner Foundation to create 'Literatura,' a small literature festival scheduled for May 2026. However, Wagner acknowledges growing pressures on the cultural sector, including reduced funding, changing social habits, and increasing security requirements that make operations increasingly challenging.
The Caricatura finances itself through institutional support, with additional major funding from the CDW Foundation and Kasseler Sparkasse. Wagner credits Kassel's tightly-knit cultural community and strong sense of collaboration for the gallery's continued success, pointing to recent cooperative projects like contributing five cartoons to the Natural History Museum's 'Nasty Critters!?' exhibition as examples of this collaborative spirit.
The 'Best Pictures 2025' exhibition runs from November 8, 2025, through February 15, 2026, at the Caricatura Gallery in Kassel's Cultural Railway Station. The official opening takes place on November 7 at 7:30 PM with free admission, while regular tickets cost 6 euros with reduced rates available. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 PM, and Sundays and holidays from 10 AM to 7 PM.
