Viennese Actionism: Gunther Brus, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch, Rudolf Schwarzkogler

by Gunter Brus

To understand the full extent of this collective gesture of protest against history carried out in a brief space of time by Viennese artists in Vienna, it is essential to forget that they were born out of the horror of national-socialism. As a product of the 1960s, Viennese Actionism and its extremism represent an artistic phenomenon of great contemporary interest, when we find that violence resides everywhere behind the false appearance of universal peace. Arising in a marginal cultural environment, this book looks at Viennese Actionism art as a convulsive, virulent re-encounter between experimental art and destruction.

Genres: Art

440 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2008