|
Biography
Günter Brus
Born 1938 in Ardning, Styria, lives in Graz and on La Gomera
|
| 1953 |
In 1953 he begins to study at the Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts) Graz first, then changes to the University of Applied Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, |
| |
| 1959 |
which he leaves in 1959.
At this time he looks at contemporary art, particularly the Austrian Informel movement (Hollegha, Mikl, Prachensky, Rainer). |
| |
| 1960 |
In 1960 he travels to Mallorca.
He discovers American post-war painting.
Subsequently he develops a free, gestual way of painting. |
| |
| 1961 |
The first exhibition of his works takes place in 1961 at the Gallery Young Generation, in Vienna, together with Alfons Schilling. |
| |
| 1962 |
In 1962 he meets his later wife Anna Steiner. |
| 1963 |
After his military service in 1963 he changes his style, which is reminiscent of the Informel movement, and develops it further to "painting in a labyrinthic space".
At this time he also meets Adolf Frohner, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler, with whom he founds the movement of "Viennese Actionism". |
|
| 1964 |
His first action, entitled "Ana", happens in 1964 in Vienna and is filmed by Kurt Kren. The following actions concentrate on his own body, whose destruction becomes central focus. |
| |
| 1966 |
In 1966 he founds together with Kren, Muehl, Nitsch and Peter Weibel the "Institute for direct art" and participates at the "Destruction in Art" symposion in London. |
| |
| 1968 |
His action "Art and Revolution" at the University of Vienna leads to a lawsuit and he is sentenced for the "offence of degradation of Austrian symbols" and for the "infringement of causing public offence of morality and shamefacedness". |
|
| 1969 |
In 1969 Brus therefore leaves Austria and goes to Berlin, where he founds together with Gerhard Rühm and Oswald Wiener the "Austrian Exile Government". |
| |
| 1968 |
In 1968 his first publication "Patent Urinoir" is edited. |
| 1969 |
A year later he ends his actionist period with the "disruption trial" ("Zerreißprobe") in Munich. |
| |
| 1971 |
In 1971 he exhibits his drawings ("Irrwisch") for the first time. |
| 1972 and 1982 |
In 1972 and 1982 he participates at the Documenta Kassel. |
| 1973 |
In 1973 he founds with Meifert the "First German Trivialeum"; |
| 1976/77 |
its publishers´ house edits from 1976/77 his books "Das hohe Gebrechen", "Imprimaturen" and the "Trivialeum´s Überzeichnungen" (over-drawings). |
| |
| |
When Anna Brus asks the Austrian president Dr.Rudolf Kirchschläger for help, her husband´s sentence of arrest is changed into a fine. |
| |
| 1979 |
In 1979 Günter Brus moves to Graz and since then exhibits regularly in Austria and abroad. He also participates at the special exhibition "Art of the Seventies" at the Venice Biennale. |
| |
| 1985 |
In 1985 Brus designs the stage scene for the "Memories to Mankind" by Gerhard Roth for the theatre in Graz. |
| |
| 1993 |
In 1993 his texts from 1984-1988 are published as the first volume of the catalogue raisonné "Morgen des Gehirns, Mittag des Mundes, Abend der Sprache" (the morning of the brain, the midday of the mouth, the evening of language).
In the same year an important retrospective of his works is organised by the Musée National d´Art Moderne Centre Pompidou in Paris. |
|
| 1994 |
In 1994 he designs the costumes for "the cunning little fox" (Das schlaue Füchslein) by Janacek for the Dresden Opera. |
| |
| 1995 |
In 1995 Günter Brus participates at the Venice Biennale ("Identità e Alterità"). |
| |
| 1999/2000 |
In 1999/2000 the important touring exhibition of "Leuchtstoff-Poesie und Zeichenchirurgie" (poetry of the luminous and surgery of signs) is organised by the Kunsthalle Tübingen, Kunsthalle Kiel and Neue Galerie of the City of Linz. |
| |
