Gustav Metzger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gustav Metzger in 2009. | |
| Born | (1926-04-10)10 April 1926 |
| Died | 1 March 2017(2017-03-01) (aged 90) London, England, UK |
| Education | Royal Academy of Fine Arts |
| Known for | Auto-Destructive Art |
| Movement | Fluxus, Art Strike |
Gustav Metzger (10 April 1926,Nuremberg – 1 March 2017,London) was astateless artist and political activist who developed the concept ofAuto-Destructive Art and theArt Strike. Together with John Sharkey, he initiated theDestruction in Art Symposium in 1966.
Metzger was recognised for his protests in the political and artistic realms.
Metzger was born toPolish Jewish parents inNuremberg, Germany, in 1926 and came to Britain in 1939[1] as arefugee under the auspices of theRefugee Children Movement.[2] He lost his Polish citizenship and wasstateless since the late 1940s.[3][4] He received a grant from the UK Jewish community to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts inAntwerp between 1948 and 1949.[5] It is with an experience of twentieth century society's destructive capabilities that led Metzger to a concentrated 'formulation of what destruction is and what it might be in relation to art.'[6]
Metzger became avegetarian in 1944 and remained a strong advocate of vegetarianism throughout his life.[7][8] He was among the first to take a stand againstenvironmental pollution andnuclear proliferation.[8]
His experience of twentieth century society's destructive capabilities led Metzger to a concentrated 'formulation of what destruction is and what it might be in relation to art.'[6] He was known as a leading exponent of theAuto-Destructive Art[9] and theArt Strike movements. He was also active in theCommittee of 100 - a 'named' member[10][11]
In 1959, Metzger published the first auto-destructive manifestoAuto-Destructive Art.[12] This was given as a lecture to theArchitectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in 1964, which was taken over by students as an artistic 'Happening'. The Architectural Association published, in 2015, a facsimile edition of Metzger's lecture transcript.[13] In 1962 he participated in the Festival of Misfits organised by members of theFluxus group, at Gallery One, London.[5] GuitaristPete Townshend fromThe Who studied with Metzger, and during the 1960s, Metzger's work was projected on screens at The Who concerts.[14] Metzger also worked with Cream, providing them with light shows in the 1960s.[15]
In 2005, he selectedEASTinternational which he proclaimed to be "The art exhibition without the art."[16]
Throughout the 60 years that Metzger produced politically engaged works, he incorporated materials ranging from trash to old newspapers, liquid crystals to industrial materials, and even acid."[17]
From 29 September to 8 November 2009, theSerpentine Gallery featured the most extensive exhibition in the UK of his work.[5] Exhibits included the installationFlailing Trees, 15 upturned willow trees embedded in a block of concrete, symbolising a world turned upside down byglobal warming. He felt that artists are especially threatened, because so many rely on nature as a big inspiration. Metzger stated that "artists have a special part to play in opposing extinction, if only on a theoretical, intellectual basis."[17]
Metzger was a non-smoker and teetotaller who did not drink coffee or English tea. He carried around his own supply ofgreen tea and was described as a vegan in his later years.[18] He lived and worked in East London.[19]
This was originally made in 1960 and remade asRecreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art in 2004.[20]
Acid action painting. Height 7 ft, Length 12' 6". Depth 6 ft. Materials: nylon, hydrochloric acid, metal. Technique. 3 nylon canvases coloured white black red are arranged behind each other, in this order. Acid is painted, flung and sprayed onto the nylon which corrodes at point of contact within 15 seconds.
— Gustav Metzger[21]
Construction with glass. Height 13 ft. Width 9' 6". Materials. Glass, metal, adhesive tape. Technique. The glass sheets suspended by adhesive tape fall onto the concrete ground in a pre-arranged sequence.
— Gustav Metzger[21]
Liquid Crystal Environment was originally made in 1965 and remade in 2005.[22]
This ongoing series of work consists of enlargedpress photographs of catastrophic events of the 20th century presented to the viewer using confrontational and experiential methods.[23]
This was a recreation of theoriginal demonstration made in 1960.[20]An integral piece of the installation at theTate Britain, a bag containing rubbish, was erroneously disposed by a cleaner on 30 June 2004.[24] Metzger declared the piece ruined and created a new bag as a replacement.[19]
Originally conceived for Manchester Peace Garden and commissioned by Manchester International Festival in 2009, this work consists of uprooted trees inverted into a concrete block in a powerful environmental memorandum of man's destructive capabilities and violation of Nature.[25]
The painterDavid Bomberg, the leading light of theBorough Group, taught Metzger and was influential in his development.[23] Metzger was also influenced by the artwork ofJohannes Vermeer and the naturopathy ofEdmond Szekely.[26]
Metzger died at the age of 90 at his home in London on 1 March 2017.[1] He is buried on the east side ofHighgate Cemetery.
When Metzger was lecturing atEaling Art College, 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-eatingcomputer virus works by thedigital artistJoseph Nechvatal.[27]
Media related toGustav Metzger at Wikimedia Commons
