Okay, I admit it…since I (Anne) am a huge Lady Gaga fan, the very funny promotional clip for her new film ‘Joker – Folie à Deux’, which also advertises the exhibition, inspired me the most to visit (you can watch it here).

The exhibition ‘Figures of the Fool. From the Middle Ages to the Romantics’ is located in the basement of the “Sully Wing” (entrance to the right of the escalator). The meaning of the word ‘fou’ is multifaceted: it can be translated as ‘fool, joker or lunatic’.

The roles and functions were and are correspondingly diverse throughout the centuries and therefore also the more than 300 exhibits: paintings, drawings, manuscripts, books, sculptures, tapestries, masks, everyday objects…

In the Middle Ages, the image was initially characterised by religious connotations, for example richly decorated Bibles or sacred objects and statues. Depictions of people indulging in lust or greed were presented as a warning example.

From the 15th century onwards, the ‘court jester’ came into fashion as a counter-figure to the wise and powerful rulers (who often enough suffered from mental illness themselves). Masks, chess pieces, statues and paintings bear witness to this. Two well-known works, the painting ‘Ship of Fools’ by Sebastian Brant and the book ‘In Praise of Folly’ by Erasmus, ensured that the figure of the jester achieved fame everywhere.