Comic beginnings, surreal success and magical artists

1. Benedikt Taschen selling his vampire paintings in Cologne, Germany, 1970.
2. TASCHEN COMICS shop in Cologne, Germany, 1980. 3. Penniless Benedikt borrows money to buy 40,000 remainders of a Magritte book printed in English, 1984 4. Ingo F. Walther and Benedikt at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 1985. 5. The very first TASCHEN original publication and the first book in the Basic Art series, Picasso, 1985. 6. TASCHEN relocates into a rare 19th-century mansion in Cologne, 1990. 7. Gilles Néret at the Café Flore in Paris, 1999. 8. Billy Wilder at the Chemosphere House, 2001. © William Claxton. 9. Muhammad Ali and Benedikt Taschen with GOAT at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 2003. 10. Philippe Starck, Cologne, 2000. 11. June and Helmut Newton, Cologne, 1999. 12. Frans Lanting, Bill Claxton, and Julius Shulman celebrate at the Chemosphere House, Hollywood, 1999. 13. A poster features Benedikt's daughter, Marlene (3), announcing "I don't want a taschen-book, I want a book by TASCHEN!" (You see, "TASCHEN" means "pocket" in German.), 1986. 14. Martin Kippenberger signing Cicciolina's T-shirt, 1991. 15. Ludwig Könemann, 1981.

Dear Bookworms,

Thanks to your continuous support, little Bene's open-air art gallery in front of Art Cologne (40 years ago, picture 1) and the TASCHEN Comics shop (30 years ago, picture 2) turned into a real publishing house (picture 6).

When I was a boy, I appreciated people who treated me like an adult, because my interests were different from those of most of my peers; my mind was full of stories and pictures, and I was permanently looking for inspiration and food for thought. By respecting my passions—books, movies, art, and so on—my family and mentors helped me to grow and turn my imagination into reality.

At the top of my wish list for birthdays and holidays were art books, which were more expensive than the regular boy's toys. And young me—fully aware of the fact that I was a lucky and privileged child raised by liberal and unconventional parents—sensed early on that books could open doors to different worlds, and that a world full of artists and free-minded spirits was the world I wanted to be part of.

I thought that others might feel the same if books became more affordable and accessible. Luckily this has been confirmed by millions of readers who have bought our art monographs, starting with the
first ones published in 1985. Our gang of young punks from Cologne became an international success story: in the 80s the key players were our two authors and editors, Ingo F. Walther and Gilles Néret (pictures 4 and 7, sadly both no longer alive) and our brilliant sales mind, Ludwig Könemann (picture 15, alive, but for two decades no longer with us). They laid the foundations for what became a truly international team of highly skilled and outrageously creative folks who have edited, designed, produced, promoted and sold more than two thousand subsequent titles.

This year we celebrate our 30th anniversary. As the proud publisher of the greatest artists of our time who have inspired millions of people around the globe, we continue to stick to our credo: don't underestimate or bore your audience.

Thanks again for your loyalty these past 30 years. Hopefully this will continue to work out in the future as well.

Peace,
Benedikt Taschen, May 2010

taschen history short 06b

16. Amanda Lepore and Benedikt Taschen at the Artists & Prostitutes launch party, 2006.