Jonathan Meese designs art edition for the «NZZ am Sonntag»
On April 12, 2026, artist Jonathan Meese will present his body of work in a special edition of the «NZZ am Sonntag.» Born in Tokyo in 1970, the painter, sculptor, and performance artist combines myth, history, and pop culture in his works—always guided by his central theme of the «dictatorship of art.».
Jonathan Meese is one of the most radical artists of his generation. Born in Tokyo and raised in Germany, he combines different cultural influences and visual worlds - always supported by his leitmotif of the «dictatorship of art». On April 12, 2026, he will present his artistic work in a special edition of «NZZ am Sonntag».
Art as a way of life
Provocateur, enfant terrible, artistic genius - Jonathan Meese has many labels attached to him, but none of them really do him justice. The German painter, sculptor, performer and theater maker defies clear attributions with his works. His art is characterized by an irrepressible desire for freedom and powerful expressionism, with which he unites myth, history and pop culture.
For Meese, art is more than a craft, it is a way of life. «For me, art is like breathing, sleeping, eating, drinking, it happens by itself. Art just happens,» he says in an interview with Peer Teuwsen, Head of Culture & History at «NZZ am Sonntag». His art is changeable and difficult to grasp, only his leitmotif remains constant. The «Dictatorship of Art» is an artistic plea for autonomy, imagination and the supremacy of art over ideology, morality and power.
Meese consistently moves outside conventional paths. «I'm crazy because I live on the sidelines,» he says. «I want to act from the sidelines. I am the fool on the hill, like Holden Caulfield. I'm the one who has his head in the clouds and sees really weird things down there.»
Exclusive edition and live event
Jonathan Meese presents his artistic work in the «NZZ am Sonntag» of Sunday, April 12, 2026, which will be published as an art edition on that day. The special edition is supplemented by an interview with Peer Teuwsen and a portrait of Meese by German journalist Georg Diez.
Meese also created an exclusive edition of 20 unicorn drawings for the NZZ. In it, the unicorn appears as a symbol of art liberated from convention. In the accompanying text, Meese's unicorn becomes the figure of a Gesamtkunstwerk, a metaphor for a total art in which love, power, myth, the future, nature and pop culture flow together. The edition thus proves to be a closed cycle within his artistic cosmos. The edition will be available from April 12, 2026 at NZZ Shop available.
In addition, an «NZZ Live» event with the artist will take place on Monday, April 13, 2026. In conversation with Peer Teuwsen, Meese talks about what drives him and what he wants to achieve with his art.
Jonathan Meese, born in Tokyo in 1970, now lives in Berlin and Ahrensburg. His works have been exhibited internationally, including at the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. His works can be found in important public and private collections, including the K20 in Düsseldorf, the Albertina in Vienna and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
