- Gustav Metzger
Gustav Metzger (born 1926) is an artist and political activist who developed the concept of
Auto-Destructive Art . Together with John Sharkey, he initiated theDestruction in Art Symposium in 1966. Metzger is recognized for his protests in the political and artistic realms.Biography
Metzger was born to
Polish-Jewish parents inNuremberg ,Germany in 1926 and came to Britain as arefugee under the auspices of the Refugee Children Movement.He has been stateless since the 1940s.
Career
Metzger is known as a leading exponent of the
Auto-Destructive Art [Alan Liu, (2004) The Laws of Cool, University of Chicago Press, pp. 330-331.] and theArt Strike movements. He was also involved in theFluxus movement.He was also an active in the
Committee of 100 and took part in their early rocket base campaigns ofdirect action and occupation.In 1959 he published the first auto-destructive manifesto Auto-Destructive Art. This was given as a lecture to the Architecture Association in 1964, which was taken over by students as an artistic '
Happening '.In 1961, he participated in the Festival of Misfits with the
Fluxus group, in Gallery One,London . He exhibited the front page ofthe Daily Mirror covering theVietnam War . His contribution was rejected and removed by other participants.In 2005 he selected
EASTinternational which he proclaimed to be "The art exhibition without the art.". [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/06/28/visual_arts_east_2005_feature.shtml BBC news website] ]Metzger has continued to make challenging art works around the world. He currently lives and works in East
London .Works
Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art
(Original made in 1960, remade as 'Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art' in 2004). [ [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=89527 Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art] , Tate Online, retrieved
2006-08-30 .]Demonstration at the South Bank, London, 1961
Acid action painting
Construction with glass
Liquid Crystal Environment
(Original made in 1965, remade in 2005). [ [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=89531 Liquid Crystal Environment] , Tate Online, retrieved
2006-08-30 .]Historic Photographs
Enlarged press photographs of catastrophic events of the 20th century.Jones, A. [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/forum-for-holocaust-studies/metzger.html Introduction to the Historic Photographs of Gustav Metzger] , Forum for Holocaust Studies, University College London, retrieved
2006-08-30 .]Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art
A recreation of the original demonstration made in 1960. [ [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=89527 Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art] , Tate Online, retrieved
2006-08-30 .] An integral piece of the installation at theTate Britain , a bag containing rubbish, was erroneously disposed by a cleaner on30 June ,2004 . Jones, S. 2004. [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,11711,1292094,00.html How auto-destructive art work got destroyed too soon ] , The Guardian, retrieved2006-08-31 .] Metzger declared the piece ruined and created a new bag as a replacement.Influences
The painter
David Bomberg taught Metzger and was influential in his development.Influenced
Around the same time, he was lecturing at
Ealing Art College , where one of his students was rock musicianPete Townshend , who later cited Metzger's concepts as an influence for his famous guitar-smashing during performances ofThe Who . He has also influenced the self-eating computer virus works by thedigital artist Joseph Nechvatal . [Alan Liu, (2004) The Laws of Cool, University of Chicago Press, pp. 331-336 & 485-486.]ee also
*
Auto-Destructive Art
*Destruction in Art Symposium References
External links
* http://www.luftgangster.de/gmetzger.html
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