Hermann Nitsch
posted 2nd January 2022
Hermann Nitsch
Hermann Nitsch was born in Vienna, Austria in 1938, and studied graphics at the Institute of Graphic Arts in his hometown. As a performer, painter, composer, photographer and scenographer, he is amongst the most influential artists of his generation. He currently resides and works at the Prinzendorf castle in Austria.
Thought to be a key figure in Viennese Action Painting of the 1960s, Hermann Nitsch continues to use this radical method of painting, which utilises all five human senses and advocates for a profound existentialist reflection. Hermann Nitsch creates his paintings using his entire body consequently, they are simultaneously the origin and the result of his performances. Combining oil and acrylic paint of a certain hue, he spreads it on canvas using unconventional tools as well as his hands, feet, and whole-body movements. Nitsch demonstrates his energetic, spiritual, sensual, and passionate persona. Chaos and violence, which accompany his work, are in fact a celebration of life and mirror the human soul.
His artworks are permanently exhibited in the two Nitsch Museums located in Mistelbach, Austria and Naples, Italy as well as in the Nitsch Foundation in Vienna. His paintings are displayed in many major art galleries and museums in the world and are included in the permanent collections of the MOMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum, New York, in the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, in the Tate Gallery, London and more. His piece named "Olberg" estimated to sell between £30,000 and £50,000. It actually realised a mind blowing £396,500 at Sotheby's.
