F. X. Messerschmidt a zahada jeho charakterovych hlav

This book is about the extraordinary sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (born 1736 in Wiesensteig bei Geislingen – died 1783 in Bratislava). The book is in the Slovak language only and contains black and white photos of sculptor's works.

Visitor of Bratislava can see some of famous character heads created by the sculptor in the Mirbach Palace - City Gallery of Bratislava.

Together with Georg Raphael Donner, Messerschmidt is Austria’s most important sculptor in the late Baroque period. He predominantly worked in Vienna and for the imperial court. Messerschmidt is documented at the Imperial Academy in Vienna from 1755 where he was taught by Jakob Schletterer and Matthäus Donner and was later deputy professor of sculpture until 1774. In that year the professorship of sculpture was given to another and Messerschmidt, on account of his "peculiar state of health", was prematurely pensioned off. After a mental illness, the character of which is still disputed today, from that time onwards the sculptor devoted his energies to his character heads with remarkable tenacity.

(Information is taken from the text written by Almut Krapf-Weiler und Michael Krapf Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern - Ruit 2003.)