These 12 monuments show how the conception of Beethoven has changed

The first monument was already created during Beethoven's lifetime. This bust appears modest and actually wants nothing more than to portray the composer. It is considered to be very close to reality - much more so than the famous Stieler portrait.

But already after his death the exaltation began. Friends of the composer donated this funerary monument at the Währinger Ostfriedhof. The obelisk is supposed to honor the deceased in a sublime way and give his grave a greater significance.

Traditionally, the lyre is a symbol of outstanding musical achievements in the representation of artists. Already in Greek mythology it is the instrument of the gods and muses. This model by Gustav Blaser (1813-1874) shows Beethoven as the god of the arts Apollo.

The composer is enthroned high above, far away from the viewer. At his feet, putti are depicted at the front and back of the monument, representing Beethoven's music. On the sides are those of the god Prometheus and the goddess Fama.

Around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the veneration of Beethoven reached its peak. Beethoven was now no longer a contemporary musician, but was compared to the titan Prometheus or - as here with Joseph Adolf Lang - father of the gods Jupiter.

In 1902 Max Klinger crowned Beethoven heroism. In Leipzig, he created this portrayal of the greatest composer of all time - more than just an inspired and creative man, but godhead and the epitome of art par excellence.

The reform artist Fidus wanted to reform the entire life and world view of the modern world. Above all he wanted to create alternatives to the power of the Christian religion. So he designed temples that glorified outstanding achievements of European culture.

This Viennese Beethoven monument by Robert Weigl differs greatly from the concepts of the late Romantics. The model is a representation of Beethoven walking in nature. Not heroic at all, but human through and through.

In France, too, visual artists were concerned with Beethoven and his art. The Rodin pupil Antoine Bourdelle left more than 20 portraits of the composer - including this bust from 1902.

The second Rodin pupil who worked on the design of a monument to Ludwig van Beethoven was the Latvian sculptor Naoum Aronson (1873-1943). His portrait is particularly striking because of the inclined head and the shadows around the eyes.

The Düsseldorf sculptor Klaus Kammerichs created this three-dimensional realization of the Beethoven portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler in 1986. It stands today in front of the Beethoven-Halle in Bonn.