Hermann Nitsch

The Viennese Actionist Hermann Nitsch, born in 1938 in Vienna, is one of the most radical artists of contemporary Austria. As a painter, performer, and composer, Nitsch has maintained a particular focus on subjects such as ritual, religion, destruction, or the idea of art itself. Thus, since the late 1950s, he executed a number of actions, beginning with the Theater of Orgy and Mystery (1957), a transgressive six day event conceived as a total work of art, which “aimed to be the greatest and most important celebration of man”. Around the same time, he developed an idea of painting-performance, for the first time shown at the Museum of Technique in Vienna (1960). The following years, Nitsch remained equally controversial and prominent as an artist, just to note his several court trials, and at the same time a number of public appearances, including performances, exhibitions, and symposia, which led his work to be featured at esteemed group shows, such as Documenta in Kassel (1972, later also 1982, 1992), and “The Austrian Exhibition” at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London (1973). The artist works prolifically, staging a number of exhibitions and performances until now, appearing at venues such as the Castle in Prinzendorf, MUMOK in Vienna (both 2015), Istanbul Contemporary (2013), and many others. Furthermore, presently two individual museums are devoted to the art of Hermann Nitsch, the Nitsch Museum in Mistelbach and Museo Hermann Nitsch in Naples. Nitsch died in 2022. His work is displayed all over the world. In 2023 his work was shown at Marc Straus in New York, La Boverie in Liege, Belgium, and Pace Palm beach in Florida, USA.