The Festschrift is dedicated to Michael Semff, who has headed the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich as its director since 2000 and is retiring in 2015. Semff lastingly honed the profile of the collection through a large number of important exhibitions that often traveled to well-known museums worldwide. Moreover, he succeeded in greatly enhancing and enlarging the Munich collection through specific purchases and gifts from generous patrons.
Semff’s colleagues at the Graphische Sammlung invited artists and scholars to show their appreciation and esteem for the passionate museum man. The essays focus attention on the art of drawing from
the 16th century to the present. Despite his far-reaching knowledge, Semff is not a theorist, but has always gained access to art through the works themselves. He enjoys an excellent reputation among artists, as this volume impressively demonstrates: The works of art that have been dedicated to him will be made available to the public in the future, since they will transfer into the possession of the association of friends of the museum (Vereinigung der Freunde der Staatlichen Graphischen Sammlung e. V.) in Munich.